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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: bay · stem · fan · deal · track · squash · stock · rock

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. squash — to crush
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. track — a path
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. rock — music
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. stem — to come from
  11. track — to keep track
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. squash — the sport
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. stock — goods
  16. track — a song
  17. rock — a stone
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. deal — to handle
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. stock — shares
  24. squash — the vegetable

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