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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: chair · straw · pass · tube · stock · shower · wax · face

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. shower — to wash
  5. shower — rain
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. face — to point toward
  8. wax — to grow
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. face — part of the head
  12. face — to confront
  13. tube — a container
  14. stock — shares
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. pass — a permit
  21. chair — a leader
  22. tube — the underground
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. chair — a professorship

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