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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: stem · mug · swing · stock · present · fall · stick · shower

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. stock — goods
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. fall — to drop
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. present — there
  7. stem — to come from
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. fall — the season
  10. swing — music
  11. mug — to rob
  12. shower — to wash
  13. stock — shares
  14. swing — in golf
  15. fall — to drop
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. present — a gift
  20. shower — rain
  21. mug — a face
  22. present — the time now
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. mug — a cup

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