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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 120 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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. rock — music
  4. mug — a face
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. cue — a hint
  7. hand — help
  8. mug — a cup
  9. hand — in cards
  10. rock — a stone
  11. band — a music group
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. band — a ring
  16. stock — shares
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. stem — to come from
  19. mug — to rob
  20. stock — goods
  21. cue — a signal
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. cue — for pool
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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