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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 · stand · foot · saw · bat · stock · stem · deal

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. stand — to bear
  4. stock — shares
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. saw — the tool
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. stock — goods
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. deal — to handle
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. foot — a measure
  15. bat — the animal
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. saw — the tool
  19. face — to confront
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. face — to point toward
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. face — part of the head
  24. stem — to come from

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