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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 120 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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. wax — to grow
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. season — of the year
  7. branch — a division
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. stock — shares
  10. kid — child
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. rock — a stone
  14. stock — goods
  15. season — in sport
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. lean — to bend
  22. kid — to tease
  23. deal — to handle
  24. rock — music

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