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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: bass · face · stock · chair · deal · land · prune · pitcher

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. prune — to trim
  3. face — part of the head
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. land — a country
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. face — to confront
  11. bass — low music
  12. deal — to handle
  13. face — to point toward
  14. land — to come down
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. chair — a leader
  20. bass — the fish
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. stock — goods
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. land — ground

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