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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. saw — the tool
  5. stock — goods
  6. stock — shares
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. kick — in football
  9. wax — to grow
  10. face — to confront
  11. face — part of the head
  12. bank — for money
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. saw — the tool
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. bank — of a river
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. face — to point toward
  20. sharp — clever
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. bank — for money

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