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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: scale · wound · snap · face · mouse · stock · lie · degree

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. face — part of the head
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. wound — an injury
  5. snap — to click
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. stock — shares
  9. stock — goods
  10. degree — temperature
  11. scale — size or range
  12. face — to confront
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. wound — an injury
  15. degree — an amount
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. scale — in music
  21. lie — to recline
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. degree — from a university

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