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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. fine — high quality
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. stock — shares
  6. land — ground
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. wax — to grow
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. mate — a friend
  14. land — to come down
  15. row — a line
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. mate — a partner
  18. row — to paddle
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. land — a country
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. fine — all right
  24. mate — to breed

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