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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. pit — in a race
  3. wax — to grow
  4. tear — from crying
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. stock — shares
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. pop — music
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. tear — from crying
  16. stock — goods
  17. tear — to rip
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. pit — a hole
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. stem — to come from
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. pop — to visit

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