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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: bulb · stock · racket · suit · press · branch · land · stem

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. press — to push
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. land — ground
  5. stock — goods
  6. branch — a division
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. stem — to come from
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. bulb — for light
  12. suit — to fit
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. suit — in cards
  15. bulb — for light
  16. press — newspapers
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. suit — clothes
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. land — to come down
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. land — a country
  23. stock — shares
  24. bulb — of a plant

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