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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. face — to point toward
  3. stock — shares
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. club — for dancing
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. face — part of the head
  9. shower — to wash
  10. tube — the underground
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. stock — goods
  14. wax — to grow
  15. shower — rain
  16. tube — a container
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. face — to confront
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. wind — moving air
  21. club — for golf
  22. club — a group
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. safe — a strongbox

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