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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
468
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: game · stem · bear · stick · mark · stock · last · file

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. file — a line of people
  6. bear — the animal
  7. mark — a grade
  8. last — to go on
  9. game — wild animals
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. last — final
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. file — a document
  15. bear — the animal
  16. file — a tool
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. last — finally
  19. game — a match
  20. stock — shares
  21. stock — goods
  22. stem — to come from
  23. mark — a trace
  24. stem — of a plant

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