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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. stock — shares
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. stem — to come from
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. stock — goods
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. bound — obliged
  13. hand — in cards
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. hand — help
  17. bound — tied together
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. rock — a stone
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. bound — certain
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. rock — music

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