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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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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: stock · deal · track · stem · press · court · wind · safe

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. press — newspapers
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. stock — goods
  6. court — of law
  7. court — of a king
  8. track — to keep track
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. stem — to come from
  11. wind — moving air
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. court — for sport
  15. track — a song
  16. press — to push
  17. track — a path
  18. stock — shares
  19. wind — moving air
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. deal — to handle
  22. press — a publisher
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. deal — a big deal

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