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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: temple · racket · last · ground · root · cabinet · stock · stem

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. last — to go on
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. last — final
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. ground — crushed
  7. stem — to come from
  8. last — finally
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. root — of a word
  11. root — the cause
  12. ground — the earth
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. root — of a plant
  17. ground — a position
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. stock — shares
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. stem — of a plant

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