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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. lean — to bend
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. spring — a coil
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. craft — a skill
  8. stock — shares
  9. craft — boats
  10. stock — goods
  11. spring — of water
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. suit — clothes
  14. suit — in cards
  15. lean — thin
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. spring — the season
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. suit — to fit
  22. snap — to click
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. stem — to come from

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