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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: staff · mark · shower · stock · march · calf · fall · stem

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. mark — a grade
  6. staff — employees
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — the season
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. staff — a stick
  11. staff — employees
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. march — the month
  15. fall — to drop
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. shower — rain
  18. mark — a trace
  19. stock — shares
  20. stock — goods
  21. stem — to come from
  22. shower — to wash
  23. march — music
  24. march — the month

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