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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: mark · chest · lie · stand · lean · stock · plane · mine

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. stand — to bear
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. stock — goods
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. lie — to recline
  8. chest — of your body
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mark — a trace
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. lean — thin
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. chest — of your body
  16. stock — shares
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. lean — to bend
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. mark — a grade
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. mine — for digging
  24. chest — a box

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