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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 116 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: stock · spell · shower · sharp · lean · face · tear · key

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. spell — magic
  3. face — part of the head
  4. tear — from crying
  5. shower — rain
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. lean — thin
  8. stock — goods
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. key — the most important part
  11. stock — shares
  12. spell — a short time
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. sharp — clever
  15. face — to point toward
  16. key — for a lock
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. face — to confront
  20. shower — to wash
  21. spell — letters
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — to rip
  24. lean — to bend

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