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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. root — the cause
  3. content — the amount
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. root — of a plant
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. degree — from a university
  11. root — of a word
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. content — happy
  14. branch — a division
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. fork — in a road
  19. degree — temperature
  20. degree — an amount
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. stock — shares
  23. wax — to grow
  24. wax — for sculpting

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