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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. rush — hurry
  3. fork — in a road
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. deal — to handle
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. spring — the season
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. stock — shares
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. spring — of water
  18. spring — a coil
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wax — to grow
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. wound — an injury

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