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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: straw · stem · stock · fan · pitcher · stand · bat · wind

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. stock — shares
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. stand — to bear
  13. wind — moving air
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. bat — the animal
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. stem — to come from
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. stock — goods
  23. wind — moving air
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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