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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 124 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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. hand — help
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — to drop
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. roll — a cake
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rest — a break
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. stock — shares
  12. hand — in cards
  13. date — the fruit
  14. stem — to come from
  15. rest — what's left
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. stock — goods
  18. fall — the season
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. roll — a list
  24. arm — a part of something

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