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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. stock — shares
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. spell — magic
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. mine — for digging
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. stock — goods
  13. pop — music
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. prune — to trim
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. prune — to trim
  18. sharp — clever
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. pop — to visit
  21. wax — to grow
  22. spell — letters
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. spell — a short time

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