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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. perch — the fish
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. pitch — completely
  6. bank — of a river
  7. face — part of the head
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. mine — for digging
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. saw — the tool
  15. face — to point toward
  16. bank — for money
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. stock — shares
  19. wax — to grow
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. face — to confront
  23. stock — goods
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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