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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 124 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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. stock — goods
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. content — happy
  5. plane — a tool
  6. field — a subject
  7. field — farmland
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. charge — in control
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. charge — electricity
  16. content — the amount
  17. pound — a weight
  18. wax — to grow
  19. spell — magic
  20. stock — shares
  21. spell — a short time
  22. spell — letters
  23. charge — a price
  24. field — for sport

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