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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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. lean — thin
  3. band — a music group
  4. pop — music
  5. stock — shares
  6. stock — goods
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. stem — to come from
  9. pop — soda
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. band — a ring
  12. pop — to visit
  13. dip — to sink
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. lean — to bend
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. dip — a sauce

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