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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: press · ground · bay · stock · safe · stem · ball · bark

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. ground — the earth
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. bark — to shout
  11. ball — a dance
  12. press — a publisher
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. ball — a great time
  15. stem — to come from
  16. press — newspapers
  17. press — to push
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. ground — a position
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. stock — shares
  24. stock — goods

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