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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: pound · tube · fine · stem · stock · stand · spell · bowl

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. tube — a container
  4. pound — a weight
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. spell — a short time
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. tube — the underground
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. stand — to bear
  16. fine — all right
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. stock — goods
  20. stock — shares
  21. fine — high quality
  22. spell — magic
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. spell — letters

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