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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: lie · stem · cue · ground · mark · craft · spell · stock

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. craft — a skill
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. craft — boats
  5. spell — magic
  6. cue — a hint
  7. stock — shares
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. ground — the earth
  10. spell — letters
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. spell — a short time
  13. cue — for pool
  14. stock — goods
  15. ground — crushed
  16. mark — a trace
  17. lie — to recline
  18. mark — a grade
  19. ground — a position
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. stem — to come from
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lie — an untruth

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