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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: saw · kid · patient · wave · sharp · prune · face · stock

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. face — part of the head
  3. prune — to trim
  4. saw — the tool
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. kid — child
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. prune — to trim
  10. kid — to tease
  11. stock — shares
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. sharp — clever
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. saw — the tool
  19. face — to point toward
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. face — to confront
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. stock — goods

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