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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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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: stem · arm · band · stick · cue · stock · racket · wound

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. cue — a hint
  3. wound — an injury
  4. band — a music group
  5. wound — an injury
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. cue — a signal
  14. stock — shares
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. stock — goods
  17. stem — to come from
  18. cue — for pool
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. band — a ring

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