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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: bear · roll · wave · stem · key · stock · ground · bat

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. bear — the animal
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. stock — goods
  7. key — for a lock
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. key — the most important part
  11. roll — a cake
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. key — in music
  15. bat — the animal
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. stem — to come from
  18. stock — shares
  19. ground — the earth
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. ground — crushed
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. roll — a list
  24. bear — the animal

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