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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. date — the fruit
  4. swing — music
  5. stock — goods
  6. swing — in golf
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. dip — to sink
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. field — a subject
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. field — for sport
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. chest — of your body
  18. stem — to come from
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. field — farmland
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chest — a box
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. swing — to play on

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