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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: stock · squash · mug · rush · file · fan · bay · stem

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. mug — to rob
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. file — a tool
  8. stem — to come from
  9. squash — the sport
  10. rush — hurry
  11. stock — shares
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. file — a document
  14. stock — goods
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. squash — to crush
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. mug — a face
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. file — a line of people
  24. fan — to cool the air

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