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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: wake · stock · stem · spell · lash · row · ground · sharp

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  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. row — a line
  2. wake — a trail
  3. sharp — clever
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. spell — a short time
  7. ground — crushed
  8. spell — letters
  9. stock — shares
  10. row — to paddle
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. stock — goods
  15. ground — a position
  16. spell — magic
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. ground — the earth
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. stem — to come from
  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