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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: face · wind · bowl · mug · bear · stock · file · kick

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. wind — moving air
  4. face — to point toward
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. file — a line of people
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. mug — a cup
  9. kick — in football
  10. mug — a face
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. face — to confront
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. mug — to rob
  16. file — a document
  17. face — part of the head
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. stock — goods
  20. bear — the animal
  21. stock — shares
  22. wind — moving air
  23. file — a tool
  24. wind — to turn a key

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