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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 120 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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. band — a ring
  3. field — for sport
  4. rest — a break
  5. field — farmland
  6. stock — goods
  7. suit — to fit
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. suit — clothes
  10. wax — to grow
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. suit — in cards
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. rest — what's left
  17. perch — the fish
  18. band — a music group
  19. field — a subject
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. rest — what's left
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. wax — for sculpting

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