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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: plane · stock · cap · squash · lean · bound · fan · face

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. bound — obliged
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. stock — goods
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. face — to confront
  8. lean — thin
  9. face — part of the head
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. cap — a hat
  13. squash — the sport
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. stock — shares
  16. bound — certain
  17. lean — to bend
  18. bound — tied together
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. face — to point toward
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. cap — of ice
  23. cap — a lid
  24. plane — a tool

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