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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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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: kid · toast · mouse · stem · wind · stock · fork · net

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. net — after costs
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. net — in sport
  9. kid — child
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. stock — goods
  14. kid — to tease
  15. stem — to come from
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. fork — in a road
  18. net — for catching
  19. wind — moving air
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. toast — bread
  22. stock — shares
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. mouse — for a computer

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