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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 ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. kid — to tease
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. kid — child
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. stock — shares
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. root — the cause
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. stand — to bear
  19. branch — a division
  20. stock — goods
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rash — hasty
  23. root — of a word
  24. rash — a series

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