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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: content · cap · last · stem · stock · staff · wind · mug

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. cap — a lid
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. cap — a hat
  5. stock — shares
  6. staff — a stick
  7. wind — moving air
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. content — happy
  10. mug — a face
  11. mug — a cup
  12. mug — to rob
  13. cap — of ice
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. content — the amount
  16. stem — to come from
  17. last — final
  18. stock — goods
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. staff — employees
  22. last — to go on
  23. wind — moving air
  24. staff — employees

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