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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: kid · stem · stock · pound · perch · racket · mine · pit

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. stem — to come from
  3. kid — to tease
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. perch — the fish
  7. pit — a hole
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. stock — goods
  12. stock — shares
  13. mine — for digging
  14. pound — a weight
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. kid — child
  21. pit — in a race
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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