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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: land · stem · pound · lean · pop · track · ruler · stock

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. stem — to come from
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. land — ground
  6. land — a country
  7. stock — shares
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. track — a path
  11. stock — goods
  12. track — a song
  13. land — to come down
  14. pop — music
  15. pop — to visit
  16. lean — thin
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. pound — a weight
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. lean — to bend
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. track — to keep track
  24. ruler — for measuring

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