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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 116 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: wound · band · can · face · firm · stock · shower · mark

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. firm — a company
  3. can — to be able to
  4. wound — an injury
  5. shower — to wash
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. can — a tin
  8. band — a ring
  9. wound — an injury
  10. shower — rain
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. mark — a trace
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. band — a music group
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. firm — decided
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. face — part of the head
  19. mark — a grade
  20. stock — goods
  21. firm — steady
  22. face — to confront
  23. stock — shares
  24. can — a tin

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