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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: mug · pitch · stem · stock · root · last · temple · rock

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. stock — shares
  3. root — of a plant
  4. root — the cause
  5. last — to go on
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. last — finally
  9. root — of a word
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. rock — a stone
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. stock — goods
  15. mug — a cup
  16. stem — to come from
  17. last — final
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. mug — a face
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. mug — to rob
  24. pitch — completely

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