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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 · bass · mug · spring · content · stem · trunk · cap

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. content — the amount
  3. stock — goods
  4. mug — a face
  5. mug — to rob
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. stock — shares
  8. spring — of water
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. bass — the fish
  12. stem — to come from
  13. mug — a cup
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. cap — a lid
  16. content — happy
  17. spring — a coil
  18. spring — the season
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. cap — a hat
  23. cap — of ice
  24. bass — low music

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