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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 120 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: wax · tear · lash · stem · pitcher · foot · stock · nail

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. stem — to come from
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. wax — to grow
  8. stock — goods
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. foot — a measure
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tear — to rip
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. tear — from crying
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. foot — the bottom

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