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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. wake — a trail
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. stock — goods
  5. rock — a stone
  6. root — of a word
  7. rock — music
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. land — to come down
  10. land — a country
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. scale — size or range
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. root — the cause
  17. root — of a plant
  18. dip — to sink
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. scale — in music
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. stock — shares
  24. rock — to move gently

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