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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: object · cabinet · stock · patient · pop · arm · face · wake

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. pop — to visit
  3. face — to confront
  4. face — to point toward
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. pop — music
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. face — part of the head
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. stock — shares
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. stock — goods
  16. pop — soda
  17. wake — a trail
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. object — a thing
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. object — to protest

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