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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. stock — goods
  5. dip — to sink
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. root — of a word
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. track — a path
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. sharp — clever
  14. track — a song
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. branch — a division
  19. root — of a plant
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. root — the cause
  24. track — to keep track

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