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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pitcher · row · stock · wind · last · ball · race · stem

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. race — humankind
  4. stem — to come from
  5. last — to go on
  6. row — to paddle
  7. stock — shares
  8. race — a contest
  9. wind — moving air
  10. row — a line
  11. ball — a dance
  12. ball — a great time
  13. race — the arms race
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. wind — moving air
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. last — final
  23. last — finally
  24. stock — goods

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