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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: face · land · stock · object · toast · march · arm · wind

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. object — a thing
  3. land — a country
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. march — music
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. object — an aim
  8. object — to protest
  9. face — part of the head
  10. wind — moving air
  11. march — the month
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. stock — goods
  14. face — to confront
  15. face — to point toward
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. land — ground
  20. wind — moving air
  21. stock — shares
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. march — the month
  24. toast — bread

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