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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: stem · land · ground · bank · wax · stock · perch · arm

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. bank — for money
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. perch — the fish
  8. stock — goods
  9. land — to come down
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. bank — for money
  12. ground — a position
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. stock — shares
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. land — a country
  18. land — ground
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. ground — the earth
  22. wax — to grow
  23. stem — to come from
  24. bank — of a river

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