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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. staff — employees
  4. stock — goods
  5. staff — a stick
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. rest — a break
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. face — part of the head
  10. face — to confront
  11. net — for catching
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. wax — to grow
  14. wind — moving air
  15. net — after costs
  16. rest — what's left
  17. net — in sport
  18. rest — what's left
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. staff — employees
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. stock — shares
  24. face — to point toward

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