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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 · foot · scale · stand · root · fan · stock · stem

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. stand — to bear
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. root — of a word
  5. foot — a measure
  6. scale — size or range
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. root — of a plant
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. bulb — for light
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. scale — in music
  15. root — the cause
  16. stock — shares
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. stock — goods
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. stem — a stem cell

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