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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 116 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: fall · stock · stem · cap · mug · branch · staff · court

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. fall — the season
  3. mug — a cup
  4. stock — shares
  5. staff — employees
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. cap — of ice
  8. court — of a king
  9. staff — employees
  10. stock — goods
  11. fall — to drop
  12. mug — a face
  13. cap — a lid
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. branch — a division
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. cap — a hat
  18. court — for sport
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. mug — to rob
  21. fall — to drop
  22. stem — to come from
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. court — of law

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