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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: stock · straw · hide · bore · cabinet · vault · face · toast

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. face — part of the head
  4. face — to confront
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. toast — bread
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. vault — a safe
  12. bore — to tire
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. stock — shares
  15. face — to point toward
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. bore — to drill
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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