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

Word bank: cell · stock · perch · ground · fall · stem · chair · present

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. ground — a position
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. ground — the earth
  7. fall — the season
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. present — there
  10. present — the time now
  11. ground — crushed
  12. stem — to come from
  13. cell — in biology
  14. fall — to drop
  15. cell — a phone
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. stock — goods
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. fall — to drop
  20. chair — a leader
  21. stock — shares
  22. present — a gift
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. perch — the fish

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