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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 116 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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. stock — shares
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. stem — to come from
  6. bound — certain
  7. staff — a stick
  8. mate — a partner
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. ball — a dance
  11. ball — a great time
  12. bound — tied together
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. spring — of water
  16. bound — obliged
  17. staff — employees
  18. mate — to breed
  19. spring — a coil
  20. mate — a friend
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. stock — goods
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. spring — the season

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