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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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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 · leaves · stock · hand · wax · face · straw · club

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. club — for dancing
  4. scale — size or range
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. club — a group
  7. face — to point toward
  8. face — part of the head
  9. club — for golf
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. face — to confront
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. hand — help
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. wax — to grow
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. hand — in cards
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. stock — goods
  23. scale — in music
  24. stock — shares

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