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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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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 · dip · racket · drill · cell · stem

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. stock — shares
  3. dip — to sink
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stock — goods
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. drill — the tool
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. drill — army training
  14. cell — in biology
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. cell — a phone
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. drill — a practice

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