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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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. stock — shares
  3. stem — to come from
  4. rest — a break
  5. firm — decided
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. cold — an illness
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. rest — what's left
  10. current — of water
  11. mark — a trace
  12. shower — rain
  13. mark — a grade
  14. firm — a company
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. current — happening now
  18. cold — not warm
  19. rest — what's left
  20. shower — to wash
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. current — electric
  23. firm — steady
  24. stock — goods

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