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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: content · board · row · can · face · spring · stock · wake

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. board — a committee
  3. content — the amount
  4. spring — of water
  5. stock — goods
  6. face — part of the head
  7. can — a tin
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. face — to confront
  10. row — a line
  11. can — to be able to
  12. spring — the season
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. row — to paddle
  15. content — happy
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. face — to point toward
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. spring — a coil
  20. stock — shares
  21. board — to get on
  22. wake — a trail
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. row — a quarrel

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