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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: key · stock · face · hide · dip · march · prune · content

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. key — in music
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. face — to confront
  9. face — part of the head
  10. march — the month
  11. prune — to trim
  12. key — for a lock
  13. march — the month
  14. content — the amount
  15. stock — goods
  16. dip — to sink
  17. key — the most important part
  18. face — to point toward
  19. prune — to trim
  20. stock — shares
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. content — happy
  23. march — music
  24. dip — a sauce

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