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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 · stem · patient · fan · stock · hand · roll · toast

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. face — part of the head
  3. toast — bread
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. hand — in cards
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. face — to confront
  11. roll — a list
  12. stock — shares
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. hand — help
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. face — to point toward
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. roll — a cake
  21. stem — to come from
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. stem — a stem cell

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