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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mark · bear · shower · stock · scale · dip · root · file

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  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. root — the cause
  2. scale — size or range
  3. file — a tool
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. file — a line of people
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. shower — to wash
  8. file — a document
  9. bear — the animal
  10. scale — in music
  11. stock — shares
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. root — of a word
  14. shower — rain
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. mark — a grade
  17. dip — to sink
  18. mark — a trace
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. root — of a plant
  23. bear — the animal
  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