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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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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: cue · chest · stem · stock · bank · face · court · toast

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. stock — shares
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. toast — bread
  5. court — for sport
  6. stock — goods
  7. cue — for pool
  8. bank — of a river
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. bank — for money
  11. court — of law
  12. stem — to come from
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. chest — a box
  15. cue — a hint
  16. chest — of your body
  17. court — of a king
  18. chest — of your body
  19. bank — for money
  20. face — to confront
  21. face — part of the head
  22. cue — a signal
  23. face — to point toward
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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