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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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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: cabinet · snap · bat · temple · bear · squash · stock · root

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. bear — the animal
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. stock — goods
  7. squash — to crush
  8. bat — the animal
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. root — of a word
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. stock — shares
  14. squash — the sport
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. root — the cause
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. root — of a plant
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. bear — the animal
  22. snap — to click
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. stock — a soup base

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