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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: mug · pitcher · stem · bass · face · rash · saw · stock

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. mug — a face
  3. bass — low music
  4. stock — goods
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. saw — the tool
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. saw — the tool
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. face — part of the head
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. rash — a series
  14. stem — to come from
  15. mug — to rob
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. face — to confront
  18. bass — the fish
  19. mug — a cup
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. face — to point toward
  22. rash — hasty
  23. stock — shares
  24. stem — a stem cell

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