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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: dip · face · stock · pitcher · tube · march · hand · fan

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. march — music
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. march — the month
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. face — to point toward
  10. stock — shares
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. stock — goods
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. face — part of the head
  17. hand — help
  18. tube — the underground
  19. dip — to sink
  20. tube — a container
  21. march — the month
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. face — to confront
  24. hand — in cards

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