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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: hand · face · bass · spring · stick · fine · stock · stem

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. spring — a coil
  3. face — to point toward
  4. hand — in cards
  5. hand — help
  6. stock — shares
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. face — part of the head
  11. bass — low music
  12. stem — to come from
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. spring — the season
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. face — to confront
  18. bass — the fish
  19. fine — all right
  20. spring — of water
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. stock — goods
  23. fine — high quality
  24. stock — a soup base

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