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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: ruler · stock · foot · coach · press · pitcher · content · stem

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. stem — to come from
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. foot — a measure
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. press — a publisher
  13. press — newspapers
  14. stock — shares
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. content — happy
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. stock — goods
  23. press — to push
  24. content — the amount

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