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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. shower — rain
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. lie — to recline
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. plane — a tool
  15. shower — to wash
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. stock — shares
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. cabinet — ministers

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com