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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: face · chest · can · march · bank · bulb · stock · firm

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. firm — steady
  3. face — to confront
  4. firm — decided
  5. stock — shares
  6. march — the month
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — a box
  9. march — the month
  10. firm — a company
  11. can — a tin
  12. bulb — for light
  13. stock — goods
  14. march — music
  15. can — a tin
  16. chest — of your body
  17. bank — for money
  18. can — to be able to
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. face — to point toward
  22. face — part of the head
  23. bank — for money
  24. bank — of a river

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