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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. key — in music
  6. stock — goods
  7. stem — to come from
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. key — for a lock
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. stock — shares
  17. chair — a leader
  18. tube — the underground
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. key — the most important part
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. tube — a container

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