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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. stock — goods
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. club — for golf
  7. can — to be able to
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — a tin
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. club — for dancing
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. club — a group
  16. wax — to grow
  17. stem — to come from
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. stock — shares
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. leaves — to go away

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