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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: cabinet · stem · degree · mouse · stock · root · trunk · last

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. degree — an amount
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. stock — shares
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. root — the cause
  13. last — to go on
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. degree — from a university
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. stem — to come from
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. last — final
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. stock — goods
  22. last — finally
  23. degree — temperature
  24. root — of a plant

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