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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: last · date · root · ground · swing · stem · jam · stock

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. ground — crushed
  3. root — the cause
  4. swing — in golf
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. date — the fruit
  7. last — final
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. last — finally
  10. last — to go on
  11. swing — to play on
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. root — of a word
  14. stock — goods
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. root — of a plant
  17. stock — shares
  18. ground — a position
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. ground — the earth
  21. stem — to come from
  22. swing — music
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. date — on the calendar

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