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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 120 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: foot · cap · lie · spring · chest · stock · rash · staff

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. chest — of your body
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. foot — a measure
  6. stock — shares
  7. spring — the season
  8. spring — a coil
  9. stock — goods
  10. cap — a hat
  11. spring — of water
  12. lie — to recline
  13. chest — of your body
  14. staff — a stick
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rash — a series
  17. staff — employees
  18. cap — of ice
  19. cap — a lid
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. chest — a box
  23. staff — employees
  24. stock — a soup base

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