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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. bound — tied together
  3. scale — in music
  4. lean — to bend
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. lean — thin
  7. rash — hasty
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. scale — size or range
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. bound — obliged
  14. wax — to grow
  15. perch — the fish
  16. bound — certain
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. rash — a series
  20. chip — for betting
  21. chip — to eat
  22. stock — shares
  23. stock — goods
  24. scale — for weighing

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