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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: board · hide · drill · trunk · face · press · stock · chip

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  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. face — to point toward
  2. press — to push
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. stock — shares
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. face — to confront
  8. chip — to eat
  9. drill — a practice
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. drill — the tool
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. stock — goods
  15. board — to get on
  16. chip — for betting
  17. face — part of the head
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. board — a committee
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. press — newspapers
  22. press — a publisher
  23. drill — army training
  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