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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: tube · kick · wind · season · scale · face · stock · bowl

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. season — of the year
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. stock — goods
  5. season — in sport
  6. tube — a container
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. face — to point toward
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. scale — size or range
  12. stock — shares
  13. scale — in music
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. face — to confront
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. kick — in football
  20. face — part of the head
  21. wind — moving air
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. tube — the underground
  24. wind — moving air

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