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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. stock — shares
  4. root — of a plant
  5. bank — for money
  6. scale — in music
  7. capital — money
  8. root — of a word
  9. scale — size or range
  10. wake — a trail
  11. rest — what's left
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. root — the cause
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. bank — of a river
  18. rest — a break
  19. rest — what's left
  20. capital — a city
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. stock — goods

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