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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. net — after costs
  4. fall — to drop
  5. stock — goods
  6. net — in sport
  7. march — the month
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. net — for catching
  11. march — the month
  12. staff — a stick
  13. march — music
  14. saw — the tool
  15. fall — the season
  16. stock — shares
  17. staff — employees
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. fall — to drop
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. staff — employees
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. saw — the tool

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