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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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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: foot · clip · race · perch · stock · mark · stem · fork

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. foot — a measure
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. clip — a video
  7. mark — a trace
  8. stock — shares
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. perch — the fish
  11. stem — to come from
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. fork — in a road
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. clip — for paper
  17. race — the arms race
  18. race — humankind
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. mark — a grade
  21. stock — goods
  22. clip — to cut
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. perch — for a bird

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