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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: stand · game · calf · face · stock · can · cue · wax

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. can — to be able to
  3. cue — a hint
  4. face — to confront
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. can — a tin
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. cue — for pool
  10. cue — a signal
  11. face — to point toward
  12. stand — to bear
  13. stock — shares
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. wax — to grow
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. game — wild animals
  20. game — a match
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. can — a tin
  23. stock — goods
  24. face — part of the head

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