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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: stock · net · date · stem · nail · bank · mine · tear

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. bank — for money
  3. tear — to rip
  4. tear — from crying
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. net — in sport
  7. bank — for money
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mine — for digging
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. tear — from crying
  14. stem — to come from
  15. date — the fruit
  16. net — for catching
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. stock — goods
  22. stock — shares
  23. net — after costs
  24. bank — of a river

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