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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: stock · face · wax · sharp · ruler · mine · object · hand

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. stock — goods
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. face — part of the head
  8. face — to point toward
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. object — a thing
  11. wax — to grow
  12. mine — for digging
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. stock — shares
  18. face — to confront
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. object — to protest
  22. object — an aim
  23. hand — in cards
  24. hand — help

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