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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: bank · hand · stock · rash · face · net · prune · dip

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. bank — of a river
  4. dip — to sink
  5. bank — for money
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. net — in sport
  8. face — part of the head
  9. prune — to trim
  10. stock — shares
  11. hand — help
  12. rash — a series
  13. rash — hasty
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. bank — for money
  17. face — to confront
  18. prune — to trim
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. hand — in cards
  21. net — after costs
  22. face — to point toward
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. net — for catching

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