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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 116 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 · kid · patient · stock · rock · ground · bay · pitcher

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. ground — a position
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. kid — to tease
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. kid — child
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. rock — music
  17. stock — goods
  18. rock — a stone
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. ground — crushed
  21. stem — to come from
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. ground — the earth

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