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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: bank · land · hand · mark · saw · cap · stock · face

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. hand — in cards
  3. stock — goods
  4. bank — for money
  5. land — a country
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. face — to confront
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. cap — of ice
  12. mark — a trace
  13. cap — a lid
  14. saw — the tool
  15. land — to come down
  16. face — to point toward
  17. bank — for money
  18. hand — help
  19. bank — of a river
  20. land — ground
  21. cap — a hat
  22. mark — a grade
  23. stock — shares
  24. saw — the tool

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