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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. chip — to eat
  3. object — to protest
  4. charge — a price
  5. chip — for betting
  6. charge — electricity
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. object — a thing
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. wax — to grow
  11. scale — size or range
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. object — an aim
  16. ground — crushed
  17. ground — a position
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. stock — shares
  20. stock — goods
  21. charge — in control
  22. bark — to shout
  23. scale — in music
  24. ground — the earth

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