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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stock · mug · rock · stem · wind · rash · toast · capital

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. rash — hasty
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. rock — a stone
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. capital — money
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. wind — moving air
  10. stem — to come from
  11. mug — a cup
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. capital — a city
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. toast — bread
  16. stock — goods
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. stock — shares
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. mug — a face
  21. mug — to rob
  22. rock — music
  23. rash — a series
  24. wind — moving air

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