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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: stem · bore · net · saw · coach · rule · stock · leaves

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. saw — the tool
  3. rule — a law
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. bore — to drill
  6. net — in sport
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. rule — government
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. net — after costs
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. bore — to tire
  14. net — for catching
  15. stock — goods
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. stock — shares
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. stem — to come from

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