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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: face · stock · wind · season · cue · tear · plane · track

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. track — to keep track
  4. tear — to rip
  5. stock — goods
  6. face — part of the head
  7. tear — from crying
  8. cue — a hint
  9. season — in sport
  10. wind — moving air
  11. stock — shares
  12. wind — moving air
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. plane — a tool
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. face — to point toward
  18. season — of the year
  19. cue — for pool
  20. cue — a signal
  21. track — a song
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. face — to confront
  24. track — a path

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