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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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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: stem · stock · key · lean · bound · shower · foot · pitcher

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. key — the most important part
  3. shower — rain
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. lean — to bend
  6. key — for a lock
  7. stock — shares
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bound — tied together
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. stock — goods
  15. foot — a measure
  16. key — in music
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. stem — to come from
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. lean — thin
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. bound — certain
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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