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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 · face · shower · plane · stock · chip · prune · net

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. face — part of the head
  3. prune — to trim
  4. face — to confront
  5. shower — to wash
  6. net — after costs
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. dip — to sink
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. net — in sport
  11. stock — goods
  12. prune — to trim
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. plane — a tool
  15. net — for catching
  16. chip — to eat
  17. face — to point toward
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. stock — shares
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. chip — for betting
  24. prune — the fruit

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