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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. wax — to grow
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. stock — shares
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. sharp — clever
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. date — the fruit
  14. drill — the tool
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. saw — the tool
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. drill — a practice
  22. stock — goods
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. drill — army training

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