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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: stock · pound · race · leaves · firm · squash · stem · snap

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. pound — a weight
  3. firm — a company
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. race — a contest
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. squash — to crush
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. stock — goods
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. stem — to come from
  13. stock — shares
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. snap — to click
  16. firm — decided
  17. race — humankind
  18. firm — steady
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. race — the arms race
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. pound — to hit hard

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