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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: cell · stock · face · can · bound · rush · land · roll

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. face — part of the head
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. roll — a cake
  7. face — to confront
  8. land — ground
  9. land — to come down
  10. bound — certain
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. roll — a list
  13. rush — hurry
  14. can — to be able to
  15. bound — tied together
  16. can — a tin
  17. cell — in biology
  18. cell — a phone
  19. stock — shares
  20. bound — obliged
  21. face — to point toward
  22. land — a country
  23. stock — goods
  24. can — a tin

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