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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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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: snap · face · plane · stock · arm · band · rest · file

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. face — to point toward
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. plane — a tool
  5. file — a line of people
  6. file — a tool
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. snap — to click
  9. file — a document
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. rest — what's left
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. stock — goods
  14. face — part of the head
  15. rest — a break
  16. band — a ring
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. face — to confront
  22. rest — what's left
  23. band — a music group
  24. arm — part of the body

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