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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. bank — of a river
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. drill — a practice
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. drill — army training
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bank — for money
  11. squash — the sport
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. drill — the tool
  15. stem — to come from
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bank — for money
  18. stock — shares
  19. net — after costs
  20. net — in sport
  21. wax — to grow
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. squash — to crush
  24. net — for catching

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