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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: wake · land · straw · stock · arm · craft · stem · mine

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. stem — to come from
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. craft — a skill
  10. mine — for digging
  11. craft — boats
  12. land — to come down
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. stock — goods
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. land — ground
  19. stock — shares
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. wake — a trail
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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