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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: temple · face · scale · net · stem · stock · sharp · fall

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. net — in sport
  3. stem — to come from
  4. stock — shares
  5. face — to confront
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. face — to point toward
  8. fall — the season
  9. net — for catching
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. sharp — clever
  12. net — after costs
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. fall — to drop
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. stock — goods
  18. scale — size or range
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. face — part of the head
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. scale — in music
  24. temple — a place of worship

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