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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: plane · stock · bat · snap · capital · lash · kick · stem

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. capital — money
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. stem — to come from
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. bat — the animal
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. stock — goods
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. snap — to click
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. stock — shares
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. plane — a tool
  20. capital — a city
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. kick — in football
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. kick — a thrill

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