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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. net — in sport
  3. face — to confront
  4. spring — the season
  5. face — to point toward
  6. rock — music
  7. face — part of the head
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. stock — shares
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. net — for catching
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. rock — a stone
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. net — after costs
  21. spring — of water
  22. wax — to grow
  23. stock — goods
  24. dip — to sink

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