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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 · stem · face · last · game · board · cap · tube

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. game — a match
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. stock — shares
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. board — to get on
  7. face — to point toward
  8. stock — goods
  9. last — finally
  10. tube — a container
  11. cap — a lid
  12. face — to confront
  13. face — part of the head
  14. stem — to come from
  15. last — to go on
  16. tube — the underground
  17. board — a committee
  18. cap — of ice
  19. cap — a hat
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. last — final
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. stem — a stem cell

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