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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 · leaves · hide · last · club · stem · plane · band

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. stock — shares
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. stem — to come from
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. club — a group
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stock — goods
  12. last — final
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. last — to go on
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. club — for golf
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. plane — a tool
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. last — finally
  23. band — a ring
  24. band — a music group

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