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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: stem · bat · stock · wound · object · temple · rash · club

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. wound — an injury
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. bat — the animal
  5. object — an aim
  6. rash — hasty
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. stock — goods
  9. rash — a series
  10. club — a group
  11. wound — an injury
  12. club — for golf
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. object — a thing
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. stem — to come from
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. object — to protest
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. club — for dancing

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