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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: stem · staff · rash · season · stock · file · firm · net

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. file — a tool
  3. file — a line of people
  4. firm — a company
  5. stock — goods
  6. stem — to come from
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. stock — shares
  9. rash — hasty
  10. firm — steady
  11. net — for catching
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. staff — employees
  14. firm — decided
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. staff — employees
  17. season — in sport
  18. file — a document
  19. rash — a series
  20. net — in sport
  21. net — after costs
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. season — of the year

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