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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: bore · firm · mine · face · row · rock · stock · content

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. firm — decided
  3. rock — music
  4. stock — goods
  5. bore — to drill
  6. rock — a stone
  7. firm — steady
  8. content — happy
  9. content — the amount
  10. face — part of the head
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. row — a line
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. mine — for digging
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. face — to confront
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. face — to point toward
  21. row — to paddle
  22. stock — shares
  23. bore — to tire
  24. mine — belonging to me

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