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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: pit · bulb · stock · rash · pop · stem · pitch · staff

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  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. pop — music
  2. stock — shares
  3. staff — employees
  4. rash — hasty
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pop — soda
  7. staff — a stick
  8. pit — a hole
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. pitch — completely
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. rash — a series
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. stock — goods
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — for light
  19. pit — in a race
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. stem — to come from
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. staff — employees
  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