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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: plane · squash · club · cell · stem · lean · mug · stock

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. stock — goods
  3. club — a group
  4. squash — the sport
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. lean — thin
  7. plane — a tool
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. mug — to rob
  10. cell — in biology
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. mug — a face
  15. stock — shares
  16. club — for dancing
  17. club — for golf
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. cell — a phone
  20. stem — to come from
  21. mug — a cup
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. lean — to bend

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