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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — moving air
  5. land — to come down
  6. cell — a phone
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. cue — a hint
  10. stock — goods
  11. cell — in biology
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. root — the cause
  14. root — of a word
  15. root — of a plant
  16. wax — to grow
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. cue — for pool
  20. land — ground
  21. stock — shares
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. cue — a signal
  24. land — a country

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