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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 120 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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. dip — to sink
  4. current — electric
  5. foot — a measure
  6. root — of a word
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. stock — shares
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. root — of a plant
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. chip — to eat
  13. current — happening now
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. bark — to shout
  16. chip — for betting
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. root — the cause
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. current — of water

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