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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: stem · bay · mine · press · sharp · stock · game · current

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. game — a match
  4. stem — to come from
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. sharp — clever
  11. stock — goods
  12. stock — shares
  13. mine — for digging
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. press — newspapers
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. current — electric
  18. current — of water
  19. press — a publisher
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. current — happening now
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. press — to push
  24. game — wild animals

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