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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: clip · spell · stem · stock · bay · coach · jam · hand

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. spell — magic
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. hand — in cards
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. stock — shares
  10. clip — to cut
  11. clip — for paper
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. clip — a video
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. hand — help
  17. spell — letters
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. spell — a short time
  22. stem — to come from
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. bay — a horse colour

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