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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: net · face · stock · lie · tear · tube · chip · prune

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. net — for catching
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. tube — the underground
  5. tube — a container
  6. prune — to trim
  7. tear — to rip
  8. face — part of the head
  9. stock — goods
  10. lie — to recline
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. tear — from crying
  13. net — in sport
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. net — after costs
  17. chip — for betting
  18. chip — to eat
  19. face — to confront
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. face — to point toward
  22. stock — shares
  23. prune — to trim
  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