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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: capital · pitcher · plane · scale · stem · rock · key · stock

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. stock — shares
  3. rock — music
  4. scale — size or range
  5. rock — a stone
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. key — for a lock
  10. scale — in music
  11. stem — to come from
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. capital — money
  16. key — in music
  17. stock — goods
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. plane — a tool
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. key — the most important part
  24. capital — a city

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