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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: stock · rule · land · bowl · prune · kid · racket · stem

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. land — ground
  4. kid — to tease
  5. stem — to come from
  6. stock — shares
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. rule — government
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. kid — child
  14. stock — goods
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. prune — to trim
  18. rule — a law
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. land — to come down
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. prune — to trim

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