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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 · press · bat · wave · face · dip · date · prune

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. date — the fruit
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. prune — to trim
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. bat — the animal
  11. stock — shares
  12. press — newspapers
  13. press — a publisher
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. face — part of the head
  16. dip — to sink
  17. prune — to trim
  18. face — to point toward
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. face — to confront
  22. stock — goods
  23. press — to push
  24. bat — for baseball

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