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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. mine — for digging
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. scale — size or range
  6. bear — the animal
  7. stock — shares
  8. bear — the animal
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. chip — for betting
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. pitch — completely
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. chip — to eat
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. scale — in music
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. perch — the fish
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. stem — to come from

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