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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 120 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: cold · spell · stock · firm · rash · leaves · face · present

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. stock — shares
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. firm — steady
  6. stock — goods
  7. rash — a series
  8. spell — a short time
  9. face — part of the head
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. present — there
  12. firm — decided
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. present — a gift
  15. cold — not warm
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. firm — a company
  19. face — to confront
  20. cold — an illness
  21. face — to point toward
  22. rash — hasty
  23. spell — letters
  24. present — the time now

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