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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: hand · perch · prune · rule · deal · root · stock · stem

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. stem — to come from
  3. stock — shares
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. perch — the fish
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — to trim
  11. hand — in cards
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. rule — a law
  16. root — the cause
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. root — of a plant
  19. stock — goods
  20. deal — to handle
  21. root — of a word
  22. rule — government
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. hand — help

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