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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: rock · stem · stock · land · fall · rush · object · band

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. object — a thing
  3. land — a country
  4. land — to come down
  5. land — ground
  6. stock — goods
  7. fall — the season
  8. object — an aim
  9. rock — a stone
  10. fall — to drop
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. fall — to drop
  15. stock — shares
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. band — a music group
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. rush — hurry
  20. object — to protest
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. stem — to come from
  24. band — a ring

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