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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: bat · scale · pass · stem · lean · mug · stock · present

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. lean — thin
  3. mug — to rob
  4. bat — the animal
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stock — shares
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. present — a gift
  9. scale — in music
  10. stem — to come from
  11. scale — size or range
  12. lean — to bend
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. mug — a cup
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. present — the time now
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. present — there
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. stock — goods
  24. pass — a permit

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