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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: face · can · bowl · hand · saw · clip · stock · cabinet

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. can — to be able to
  3. hand — in cards
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. face — to point toward
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. hand — help
  14. clip — to cut
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. face — to confront
  17. can — a tin
  18. clip — a video
  19. stock — goods
  20. stock — shares
  21. clip — for paper
  22. face — part of the head
  23. can — a tin
  24. bowl — a dish

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