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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: hide · straw · face · wind · stock · fork · firm · press

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. wind — moving air
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. fork — in a road
  7. wind — moving air
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. press — newspapers
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. firm — steady
  14. face — part of the head
  15. stock — shares
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. firm — decided
  19. press — a publisher
  20. press — to push
  21. face — to point toward
  22. face — to confront
  23. firm — a company
  24. fork — a garden tool

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