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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: stock · stem · spring · date · wave · snap · coach · stick

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. spring — the season
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. date — the fruit
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. stem — to come from
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. stock — goods
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. spring — of water
  16. stock — shares
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. spring — a coil
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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