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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 120 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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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: cold · stem · rest · cabinet · fork · stock · plane · bear

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. stock — shares
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. stock — goods
  8. cold — an illness
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — a break
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. bear — the animal
  14. rest — what's left
  15. stem — to come from
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. bear — the animal
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. fork — in a road
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. cabinet — ministers

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