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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: pound · stem · saw · kid · kick · mouse · stock · pitcher

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  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. kick — with a leg
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. stock — goods
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. kick — in football
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. saw — the tool
  13. pound — a weight
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. kid — to tease
  20. stock — shares
  21. saw — the tool
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. kid — child
  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