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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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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: wake · roll · season · court · stock · face · tube · lean

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. face — to point toward
  3. stock — goods
  4. stock — shares
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. tube — the underground
  8. season — of the year
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. court — for sport
  11. roll — a cake
  12. tube — a container
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. lean — to bend
  16. lean — thin
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. face — to confront
  19. court — of law
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. season — in sport
  22. face — part of the head
  23. court — of a king
  24. roll — a list

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