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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 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. stock — goods
  3. capital — money
  4. root — of a plant
  5. root — the cause
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. suit — clothes
  8. prune — to trim
  9. suit — in cards
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. craft — a skill
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. craft — boats
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. prune — to trim
  17. stock — shares
  18. capital — a city
  19. suit — to fit
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. mine — for digging
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. patient — a sick person

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