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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: deal · stock · face · wave · wind · track · scale · kid

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. track — a path
  3. kid — to tease
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. stock — goods
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. kid — child
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. face — to point toward
  11. stock — shares
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. face — to confront
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. deal — to handle
  17. track — to keep track
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. wind — moving air
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. face — part of the head
  23. track — a song
  24. scale — in music

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