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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. stock — goods
  3. wax — to grow
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. wound — an injury
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. mate — a partner
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. mate — a friend
  15. rash — a series
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. mate — to breed
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. perch — the fish
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. stock — shares

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