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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 · ground · wave · stem · stock · pop · game · cap

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. ground — crushed
  3. pop — to visit
  4. game — wild animals
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. cap — a hat
  8. ground — a position
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. deal — to handle
  11. stem — to come from
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. stock — shares
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. cap — of ice
  18. cap — a lid
  19. ground — the earth
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. game — a match
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. stock — goods
  24. pop — soda

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