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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.

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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: face · leaves · lash · spell · capital · wax · stock · scale

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. stock — goods
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. capital — a city
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. face — to point toward
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. scale — in music
  13. spell — letters
  14. capital — money
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. spell — a short time
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. stock — shares
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. scale — size or range
  21. face — to confront
  22. wax — to grow
  23. face — part of the head
  24. spell — magic

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