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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: band · fine · shower · roll · fork · stock · face · wave

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. face — to point toward
  3. shower — rain
  4. face — to confront
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. roll — a cake
  8. stock — goods
  9. face — part of the head
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. fine — all right
  12. shower — to wash
  13. band — a music group
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. stock — shares
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. roll — a list
  19. band — a ring
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. fork — in a road
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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