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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 120 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 · bear · bat · stand · face · wake · race · foot

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. face — part of the head
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. face — to confront
  8. stock — goods
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. bear — the animal
  11. foot — a measure
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. face — to point toward
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. stock — shares
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. stand — to bear
  18. race — a contest
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. race — the arms race
  21. race — humankind
  22. wake — a trail
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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