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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: track · stock · fall · stem · roll · swing · hand · stick

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. hand — help
  3. track — to keep track
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. swing — music
  6. swing — to play on
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. swing — in golf
  10. roll — a cake
  11. stock — shares
  12. roll — a list
  13. stem — to come from
  14. fall — to drop
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. track — a song
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. fall — to drop
  21. stock — goods
  22. hand — in cards
  23. track — a path
  24. stem — a stem cell

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