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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: stem · face · stock · kid · staff · net · pass · pound

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. net — in sport
  3. stem — to come from
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. pass — a permit
  6. staff — a stick
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. net — after costs
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. staff — employees
  12. stock — shares
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. face — part of the head
  15. kid — child
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. face — to point toward
  18. kid — to tease
  19. face — to confront
  20. net — for catching
  21. staff — employees
  22. stock — goods
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. pound — for dogs

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