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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
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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: tear · safe · stock · court · roll · fall · coach · stem

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. fall — to drop
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. fall — the season
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. roll — a cake
  10. court — for sport
  11. roll — a list
  12. stock — goods
  13. stem — to come from
  14. tear — to rip
  15. court — of a king
  16. fall — to drop
  17. tear — from crying
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. stock — shares
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. tear — from crying
  24. court — of law

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