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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 120 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: stock · wound · ground · arm · fall · rock · face · perch

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. ground — a position
  3. fall — to drop
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. stock — shares
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. face — to point toward
  8. rock — music
  9. stock — goods
  10. fall — the season
  11. wound — an injury
  12. face — part of the head
  13. ground — crushed
  14. rock — a stone
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — the fish
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. fall — to drop
  23. ground — the earth
  24. wound — an injury

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