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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 · straw · stem · snap · bat · rash · cap · key

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. key — the most important part
  6. rash — a series
  7. cap — a lid
  8. key — for a lock
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. cap — a hat
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. cap — of ice
  16. snap — to click
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. stem — to come from
  19. bat — the animal
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. stock — shares
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. rash — hasty
  24. stock — goods

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