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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 120 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: tear · sharp · ground · bass · saw · leaves · face · stock

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. tear — from crying
  3. face — part of the head
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. stock — shares
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. tear — from crying
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. tear — to rip
  12. ground — a position
  13. bass — the fish
  14. saw — the tool
  15. stock — goods
  16. saw — the tool
  17. face — to point toward
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. ground — the earth
  20. sharp — clever
  21. bass — low music
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. face — to confront

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