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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 120 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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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 · stem · bat · fall · board · stock · rest · bowl

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  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. rest — what's left
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. fall — the season
  5. stock — shares
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. rest — a break
  8. board — a committee
  9. stock — goods
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. bat — the animal
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. fall — to drop
  20. rest — what's left
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. board — to get on
  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