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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: stock · drill · cell · wound · wax · face · charge · root

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. drill — army training
  3. charge — electricity
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. stock — shares
  7. charge — in control
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. face — part of the head
  11. wax — to grow
  12. root — the cause
  13. face — to confront
  14. cell — in biology
  15. drill — a practice
  16. wound — an injury
  17. cell — a phone
  18. root — of a word
  19. drill — the tool
  20. charge — a price
  21. stock — goods
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. root — of a plant
  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