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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: mark · stock · swing · wave · wax · face · hand · field

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  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. swing — music
  2. field — for sport
  3. hand — in cards
  4. field — farmland
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. stock — shares
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. swing — in golf
  12. face — to point toward
  13. mark — a trace
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. stock — goods
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. face — to confront
  19. wax — to grow
  20. field — a subject
  21. hand — help
  22. swing — to play on
  23. mark — a grade
  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