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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: leaves · stem · scale · stock · pop · foot · last · chair

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. foot — a measure
  3. chair — a leader
  4. scale — in music
  5. stem — to come from
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. pop — music
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. last — to go on
  11. last — final
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. stock — shares
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. pop — to visit
  19. pop — soda
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. stock — goods
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. scale — size or range

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