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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stick · cell · wind · object · lean · stock

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. cell — in biology
  3. object — an aim
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. object — a thing
  6. wind — moving air
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. stock — shares
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. wind — moving air
  11. lean — to bend
  12. lean — thin
  13. object — to protest
  14. stock — goods
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. stick — a piece of wood

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