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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 · ruler · season · wound · wax · ground · wind

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. stock — shares
  3. face — to point toward
  4. season — in sport
  5. face — part of the head
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. ground — a position
  9. wax — to grow
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. season — of the year
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. face — to confront
  16. stock — goods
  17. wind — moving air
  18. ground — crushed
  19. wound — an injury
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. ground — the earth
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. wound — an injury

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