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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 120 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: stem · straw · wake · plane · stock · season

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. season — in sport
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. wake — a trail
  9. plane — a tool
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. stock — goods
  15. stem — to come from
  16. season — of the year
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. straw — to clutch at straws

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