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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 · lash · roll · key · stem · land · bat · lean

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. land — to come down
  3. lean — thin
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. bat — the animal
  6. key — for a lock
  7. key — in music
  8. land — ground
  9. stock — shares
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. key — the most important part
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. land — a country
  16. stock — goods
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. lean — to bend
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. stem — to come from
  21. roll — a cake
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. roll — a list

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