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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: tube · pitcher · land · bark · capital · stem · stock · pit

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. tube — a container
  5. stock — goods
  6. pit — in a race
  7. tube — the underground
  8. capital — a city
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. land — a country
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pit — a hole
  14. land — to come down
  15. stem — to come from
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. land — ground
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. capital — money
  22. stock — shares
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. stock — a soup base

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