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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. sharp — clever
  4. file — a tool
  5. stem — to come from
  6. file — a document
  7. bank — for money
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. bank — for money
  12. stock — shares
  13. bank — of a river
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. file — a line of people
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. key — for a lock
  18. key — in music
  19. key — the most important part
  20. stock — goods
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. plane — a tool
  23. fine — high quality
  24. fine — all right

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