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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: stock · pitch · ground · mug · band · stem · face · prune

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. mug — to rob
  3. stock — goods
  4. ground — crushed
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. face — to point toward
  8. stem — to come from
  9. face — to confront
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. ground — the earth
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. prune — to trim
  14. band — a music group
  15. stock — shares
  16. mug — a face
  17. ground — a position
  18. pitch — completely
  19. prune — to trim
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. face — part of the head
  22. mug — a cup
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. band — a ring

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