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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 120 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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. present — there
  3. fall — the season
  4. fall — to drop
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stock — shares
  7. field — a subject
  8. fall — to drop
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. present — a gift
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. present — the time now
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. stock — goods
  16. wax — to grow
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. bank — for money
  19. field — farmland
  20. field — for sport
  21. sharp — clever
  22. bank — for money
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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