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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: face · staff · chest · stock · bat · date · bank · lie

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. date — the fruit
  3. lie — to recline
  4. chest — a box
  5. staff — employees
  6. face — to confront
  7. face — part of the head
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bank — of a river
  11. stock — shares
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. chest — of your body
  14. staff — employees
  15. bank — for money
  16. chest — of your body
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. face — to point toward
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bank — for money
  21. staff — a stick
  22. stock — goods
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. lie — an untruth

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