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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 120 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: hand · nail · object · stock · stem · fall · foot · coach

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. stem — to come from
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. stock — shares
  5. stock — goods
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. object — an aim
  9. fall — to drop
  10. object — to protest
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. fall — to drop
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. hand — in cards
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. object — a thing
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. fall — the season
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. foot — a measure

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