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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: tube · pitch · stock · wax · date · cap · bank · face

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. stock — goods
  3. face — to confront
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. tube — the underground
  6. wax — to grow
  7. stock — shares
  8. date — the fruit
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. tube — a container
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. bank — of a river
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. bank — for money
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. face — to point toward
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. cap — a lid
  19. cap — of ice
  20. face — part of the head
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. bank — for money
  23. pitch — completely
  24. pitch — a sports field

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