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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. root — of a plant
  3. track — to keep track
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. root — of a word
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. wind — moving air
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. stock — shares
  11. vault — a safe
  12. branch — a division
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. track — a song
  15. wind — moving air
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. date — the fruit
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. stock — goods
  23. track — a path
  24. root — the cause

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