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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 116 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: drill · bass · stem · stock · chair · ground · mine · cue

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. stock — goods
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. cue — for pool
  5. stem — to come from
  6. bass — the fish
  7. stock — shares
  8. ground — crushed
  9. ground — the earth
  10. mine — for digging
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. drill — the tool
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. chair — a leader
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. ground — a position
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. drill — army training
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. cue — a signal
  22. bass — low music
  23. cue — a hint
  24. stem — of a plant

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