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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: chip · stock · tear · straw · face · present

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. chip — to eat
  4. tear — to rip
  5. present — there
  6. tear — from crying
  7. present — the time now
  8. tear — from crying
  9. chip — for betting
  10. face — part of the head
  11. stock — goods
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. stock — shares
  14. face — to confront
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. face — to point toward
  18. stock — a soup base

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