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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: stock · current · face · lean · tear · trunk · pit · lash

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. current — of water
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. current — electric
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. current — happening now
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. tear — to rip
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. lean — to bend
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. lean — thin
  14. face — to confront
  15. stock — goods
  16. tear — from crying
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. face — part of the head
  20. face — to point toward
  21. pit — in a race
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. tear — from crying
  24. pit — a hole

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