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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 120 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: perch · stock · pound · ruler · race · kid · stem · row

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. race — humankind
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. stock — goods
  9. stock — shares
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. stem — to come from
  14. pound — a weight
  15. race — a contest
  16. row — a line
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. row — to paddle
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. perch — the fish
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. kid — to tease
  23. kid — child
  24. race — the arms race

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