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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.

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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: last · firm · mine · foot · temple · wave · stock · land

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. land — a country
  3. last — to go on
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. land — to come down
  6. last — finally
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. firm — a company
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. foot — a measure
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. last — final
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. stock — goods
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. land — ground
  20. firm — steady
  21. mine — for digging
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. stock — shares
  24. firm — decided

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