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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.

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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: rest · rash · land · stock · firm · stem · mark · object

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. land — ground
  3. stem — to come from
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. object — to protest
  6. stock — shares
  7. land — a country
  8. land — to come down
  9. firm — a company
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. firm — steady
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. mark — a grade
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rash — hasty
  18. firm — decided
  19. stock — goods
  20. rest — a break
  21. mark — a trace
  22. object — a thing
  23. rash — a series
  24. rest — what's left

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