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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: straw · stock · suit · rash · stem · squash · wind · pitcher

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. stock — shares
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. suit — clothes
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. squash — to crush
  9. rash — hasty
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. stem — to come from
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. squash — the sport
  17. stock — goods
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. suit — to fit
  20. wind — moving air
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. wind — moving air
  23. rash — a series
  24. straw — dry grass

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