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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
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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: scale · stock · land · fan · face · can · mate · shower

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. can — to be able to
  4. shower — rain
  5. face — to point toward
  6. mate — a partner
  7. face — part of the head
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. face — to confront
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. stock — goods
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. scale — in music
  15. land — to come down
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. can — a tin
  18. mate — a friend
  19. stock — shares
  20. scale — size or range
  21. shower — to wash
  22. can — a tin
  23. mate — to breed
  24. land — a country

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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