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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: lean · stock · game · fine · spring · perch · face · pit

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. face — to confront
  3. pit — a hole
  4. stock — goods
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. spring — of water
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. face — part of the head
  9. game — wild animals
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. face — to point toward
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. fine — all right
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. lean — to bend
  16. spring — the season
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. fine — high quality
  19. pit — in a race
  20. game — a match
  21. lean — thin
  22. stock — shares
  23. perch — the fish
  24. stock — a soup base

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