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

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. root — of a plant
  3. stock — shares
  4. current — happening now
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. bat — the animal
  8. press — a publisher
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. stem — to come from
  12. land — ground
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. current — electric
  16. land — a country
  17. press — newspapers
  18. land — to come down
  19. press — to push
  20. current — of water
  21. stock — goods
  22. root — of a word
  23. root — the cause
  24. stem — a stem cell

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