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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 116 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: cold · wound · stock · rush · snap · bulb · staff · stem

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. bulb — for light
  5. staff — a stick
  6. staff — employees
  7. snap — to click
  8. wound — an injury
  9. stem — to come from
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. bulb — for light
  12. stock — shares
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. rush — hurry
  15. wound — an injury
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. staff — employees
  21. cold — an illness
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. cold — not warm
  24. stock — goods

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