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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: foot · craft · bass · drill · stock · capital · stem · straw

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. foot — a measure
  3. stock — shares
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. capital — money
  6. stock — goods
  7. drill — army training
  8. craft — boats
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bass — the fish
  11. stem — to come from
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. bass — low music
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. capital — a city
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. drill — the tool
  22. craft — a skill
  23. drill — a practice
  24. stock — a soup base

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