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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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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: cabinet · roll · face · dip · tear · stock · rest · rush

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. rest — what's left
  4. stock — goods
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. dip — to sink
  7. rush — hurry
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — to rip
  10. rest — a break
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. face — to point toward
  13. face — to confront
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. roll — a cake
  17. tear — from crying
  18. roll — a list
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. rest — what's left
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. face — part of the head
  24. stock — shares

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