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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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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 · ground · temple · snap · stock · cell · straw · wax

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ground — the earth
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. cell — in biology
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. stock — shares
  9. snap — to click
  10. ground — a position
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. face — to point toward
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. face — part of the head
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. face — to confront
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. stock — goods
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. cell — a phone

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