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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 116 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 · wake · stem · bass · suit · lash · stock · ground

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. bass — low music
  5. suit — in cards
  6. wake — a trail
  7. ground — the earth
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. stem — to come from
  10. ground — a position
  11. suit — clothes
  12. suit — to fit
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. ground — crushed
  16. bass — the fish
  17. stock — goods
  18. kick — in football
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. stock — shares

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