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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: root · pop · kick · cold · roll · stock · key · straw

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. root — of a plant
  3. pop — soda
  4. roll — a cake
  5. key — the most important part
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. root — the cause
  8. pop — to visit
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. stock — shares
  11. cold — not warm
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. key — for a lock
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. roll — a list
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. kick — in football
  19. cold — an illness
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. key — in music
  22. stock — goods
  23. pop — music
  24. kick — with a leg

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