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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: plane · craft · stem · sharp · spring · content · court · stock

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. spring — a coil
  3. content — the amount
  4. stock — shares
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. craft — a skill
  7. stem — to come from
  8. craft — boats
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. spring — the season
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. stock — goods
  15. court — for sport
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. sharp — clever
  18. content — happy
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. spring — of water
  21. plane — a tool
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. court — of a king
  24. plane — an aircraft

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