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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. root — of a plant
  3. stock — shares
  4. swing — in golf
  5. face — to confront
  6. craft — a skill
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. root — the cause
  9. stock — goods
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. land — a country
  12. cap — a lid
  13. cap — of ice
  14. swing — to play on
  15. tube — a container
  16. cap — a hat
  17. land — to come down
  18. face — to point toward
  19. root — of a word
  20. tube — the underground
  21. face — part of the head
  22. land — ground
  23. craft — boats
  24. swing — music

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