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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.

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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. stock — shares
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. chair — a leader
  5. stock — goods
  6. ground — the earth
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. ground — crushed
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. ground — a position
  17. lean — thin
  18. wax — to grow
  19. lean — to bend
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. stem — to come from

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