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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: key · board · hand · wake · straw · stock · bear · stem

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. key — for a lock
  5. hand — help
  6. hand — in cards
  7. key — the most important part
  8. stem — to come from
  9. bear — the animal
  10. stock — goods
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. wake — a trail
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. board — to get on
  16. bear — the animal
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. board — a committee
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. stock — shares

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