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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: rest · mine · stock · face · squash · foot · bound · land

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  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. bound — tied together
  2. face — to confront
  3. rest — what's left
  4. land — ground
  5. face — part of the head
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. squash — the sport
  9. mine — for digging
  10. rest — a break
  11. stock — goods
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. bound — certain
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. land — a country
  16. face — to point toward
  17. bound — obliged
  18. land — to come down
  19. squash — to crush
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. rest — what's left
  22. foot — a measure
  23. stock — shares
  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