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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: pitcher · key · rule · stock · band · rash · root · stem

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. key — in music
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. root — of a word
  9. rule — government
  10. band — a music group
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. key — for a lock
  13. key — the most important part
  14. band — a ring
  15. stock — shares
  16. root — the cause
  17. rule — a law
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. stem — to come from
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. rash — a series
  22. root — of a plant
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. stock — goods

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