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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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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: wave · capital · wind · tear · stem · key · race · stock

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. stock — goods
  3. key — in music
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stem — to come from
  7. capital — money
  8. race — the arms race
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. tear — from crying
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. tear — from crying
  14. wind — moving air
  15. key — the most important part
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. race — a contest
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. wind — moving air
  20. capital — a city
  21. stock — shares
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. race — humankind
  24. tear — to rip

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