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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
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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: bat · plane · stem · stock · prune · firm · calf · tear

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. bat — the animal
  3. firm — a company
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. tear — to rip
  6. firm — decided
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. stem — to come from
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. stock — goods
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. tear — from crying
  15. plane — a tool
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. firm — steady
  19. tear — from crying
  20. prune — to trim
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. stock — shares
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. calf — a young animal

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