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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. stock — goods
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. face — part of the head
  6. face — to point toward
  7. stock — shares
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. bank — of a river
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. bass — low music
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. ground — crushed
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. ground — a position
  18. face — to confront
  19. wax — to grow
  20. bass — the fish
  21. dip — to sink
  22. bank — for money
  23. bank — for money
  24. ground — the earth

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