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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.

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: stock · hand · stem · plane · fan · bowl · cell · kid

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. kid — child
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. stem — to come from
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. cell — in biology
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. cell — a phone
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. hand — in cards
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. plane — a tool
  16. stock — shares
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. stock — goods
  21. kid — to tease
  22. hand — help
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fan — to cool the air

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