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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: bank · stem · stock · court · chest · wave · cabinet · lie

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. chest — of your body
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. court — of law
  6. court — for sport
  7. chest — of your body
  8. court — of a king
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. bank — for money
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. stock — shares
  14. lie — to recline
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. chest — a box
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. bank — of a river
  19. stem — to come from
  20. stock — goods
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. bank — for money

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