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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: pound · fine · stock · coach · land · stem · kid · rush

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. rush — hurry
  4. pound — a weight
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. kid — child
  7. stock — goods
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. land — a country
  10. fine — high quality
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. stem — to come from
  14. land — to come down
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. fine — all right
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. land — ground
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. kid — to tease
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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