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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. cap — a lid
  3. root — of a plant
  4. march — the month
  5. stock — shares
  6. march — the month
  7. wake — a trail
  8. stock — goods
  9. root — of a word
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. staff — a stick
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fall — the season
  15. cap — a hat
  16. staff — employees
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. root — the cause
  20. vault — a safe
  21. cap — of ice
  22. fall — to drop
  23. march — music
  24. staff — employees

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