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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: cap · foot · hide · face · stock · lie · branch · shower

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. foot — a measure
  3. face — part of the head
  4. face — to confront
  5. shower — rain
  6. lie — to recline
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. cap — a hat
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. cap — of ice
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. stock — shares
  19. branch — a division
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. shower — to wash
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. face — to point toward
  24. cap — a lid

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