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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: shower · foot · lean · face · pass · fork · band · stock

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. face — part of the head
  4. stock — shares
  5. face — to confront
  6. shower — to wash
  7. lean — to bend
  8. lean — thin
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. band — a music group
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. fork — in a road
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. pass — a permit
  20. foot — a measure
  21. face — to point toward
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. stock — goods
  24. shower — rain

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