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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 116 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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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 · firm · kid · lean · branch · present · shower · face

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. face — part of the head
  3. firm — decided
  4. kid — child
  5. present — there
  6. firm — steady
  7. face — to confront
  8. present — a gift
  9. face — to point toward
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. branch — a division
  13. shower — to wash
  14. kid — to tease
  15. firm — a company
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. lean — thin
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. shower — rain
  20. present — the time now
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. lean — to bend
  23. stock — goods
  24. stock — shares

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