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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. staff — employees
  3. present — there
  4. mug — a cup
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. stock — goods
  7. cell — in biology
  8. bulb — for light
  9. fall — to drop
  10. mug — to rob
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. fall — the season
  13. fall — to drop
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. staff — employees
  16. present — the time now
  17. mug — a face
  18. stem — to come from
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. bulb — for light
  21. present — a gift
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. staff — a stick
  24. cell — a phone

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