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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: clip · foot · face · toast · wax · swing · stock · plane

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. stock — shares
  3. clip — to cut
  4. face — to confront
  5. face — to point toward
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. stock — goods
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. wax — to grow
  10. swing — in golf
  11. foot — a measure
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. face — part of the head
  15. clip — a video
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. plane — a tool
  18. clip — for paper
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. swing — to play on
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. swing — music

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