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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mine · stock · hide · rock · stem · cabinet · rest · content

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. rock — music
  3. stock — shares
  4. rest — a break
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. rock — a stone
  7. rest — what's left
  8. stem — to come from
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. mine — for digging
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. rest — what's left
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. stock — goods
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. content — the amount
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. content — videos and posts

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