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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: snap · rash · stem · spring · toast · stock · fan · staff

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. snap — to click
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. spring — the season
  5. stock — shares
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. stock — goods
  9. staff — employees
  10. stem — to come from
  11. toast — bread
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. staff — employees
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. rash — a series
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. rash — hasty
  20. staff — a stick
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. spring — a coil
  24. fan — a supporter

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