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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. stem — to come from
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. tube — the underground
  5. content — the amount
  6. stock — shares
  7. date — the fruit
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. current — happening now
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. current — of water
  13. mate — a partner
  14. mate — a friend
  15. stock — goods
  16. current — electric
  17. content — happy
  18. mate — to breed
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. tube — a container
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. pitcher — a jug

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