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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: stem · rest · stock · charge · kid · bat · patient · roll

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. rest — a break
  4. charge — electricity
  5. stem — to come from
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. roll — a cake
  9. roll — a list
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. rest — what's left
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. kid — child
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. bat — the animal
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. rest — what's left
  20. stock — shares
  21. stock — goods
  22. charge — in control
  23. kid — to tease
  24. charge — a price

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