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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 · coach · date · tear · scale · face · rest · race

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. face — to confront
  4. race — a contest
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. date — the fruit
  8. race — humankind
  9. tear — from crying
  10. rest — what's left
  11. scale — in music
  12. face — part of the head
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. stock — goods
  16. rest — what's left
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. rest — a break
  19. face — to point toward
  20. race — the arms race
  21. tear — from crying
  22. stock — shares
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. scale — size or range

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