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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: wind · face · scale · perch · stock · leaves · bowl · squash

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. scale — in music
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. squash — to crush
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. perch — the fish
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. wind — moving air
  15. scale — size or range
  16. stock — shares
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. face — part of the head
  20. stock — goods
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. face — to confront
  23. squash — the sport
  24. face — to point toward

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