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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: stock · board · pitcher · rule · pound · chest · present · stem

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. stock — shares
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. pound — a weight
  6. chest — a box
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. chest — of your body
  10. rule — government
  11. stock — goods
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. rule — a law
  14. present — there
  15. stem — to come from
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. board — a committee
  22. present — the time now
  23. chest — of your body
  24. board — to get on

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