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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: straw · stand · club · pound · kick · stock · racket · stem

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. pound — a weight
  5. club — for golf
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. kick — in football
  11. club — a group
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. stand — to bear
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. club — for dancing
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. stem — to come from
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. stock — shares
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. stock — goods
  24. pound — for dogs

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