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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: deal · press · lie · degree · stock · tube · stem · ball

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. ball — a dance
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. press — newspapers
  7. lie — to recline
  8. stem — to come from
  9. ball — a great time
  10. press — a publisher
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. stock — goods
  14. tube — the underground
  15. press — to push
  16. degree — temperature
  17. degree — from a university
  18. degree — an amount
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. tube — a container
  23. deal — to handle
  24. stock — shares

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