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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.

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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 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. stock — shares
  3. spring — the season
  4. scale — size or range
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. scale — in music
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. root — the cause
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. content — the amount
  14. spring — of water
  15. pound — a weight
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. spring — a coil
  20. stock — goods
  21. root — of a plant
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. content — happy

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