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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 120 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: root · stick · press · shower · stem · current · tear · stock

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. press — a publisher
  3. tear — from crying
  4. stock — shares
  5. shower — to wash
  6. root — the cause
  7. press — to push
  8. tear — to rip
  9. shower — rain
  10. current — electric
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. root — of a plant
  13. stem — to come from
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. stock — goods
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. press — newspapers
  21. current — happening now
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. tear — from crying
  24. root — of a word

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