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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 120 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: bore · ground · scale · stock · bass · craft · face · patient

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. ground — crushed
  6. stock — shares
  7. craft — boats
  8. ground — the earth
  9. bass — low music
  10. face — part of the head
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. stock — goods
  13. bore — to drill
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. scale — in music
  17. face — to confront
  18. bore — to tire
  19. bass — the fish
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. scale — size or range
  22. craft — a skill
  23. ground — a position
  24. bore — gave birth

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