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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: dip · file · stock · face · field · root · roll · hand

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. face — to point toward
  4. root — of a plant
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. file — a document
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. face — to confront
  9. file — a tool
  10. dip — to sink
  11. field — for sport
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. field — a subject
  14. file — a line of people
  15. field — farmland
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. roll — a list
  18. root — of a word
  19. root — the cause
  20. stock — shares
  21. roll — a cake
  22. hand — in cards
  23. face — part of the head
  24. stock — goods

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