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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: cold · stock · prune · row · ruler · key · stem · club

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. club — for dancing
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. key — in music
  5. key — the most important part
  6. stock — goods
  7. row — a line
  8. club — a group
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. prune — to trim
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. cold — an illness
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. prune — to trim
  15. row — to paddle
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. cold — not warm
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. key — for a lock
  20. stock — shares
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. club — for golf
  24. stem — to come from

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