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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: kick · drill · stem · plane · stock · wind

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. kick — in football
  3. plane — a tool
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. drill — a practice
  7. stem — to come from
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. stock — shares
  10. wind — moving air
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. wind — moving air
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. drill — the tool
  15. stock — goods
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. stem — of a plant

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