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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stick · trunk · stock · staff · bark · stem · march · face

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. march — the month
  3. stock — goods
  4. march — music
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. staff — a stick
  7. face — part of the head
  8. march — the month
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. staff — employees
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. stock — shares
  13. stem — to come from
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. face — to confront
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bark — to shout
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. staff — employees
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. face — to point toward

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