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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: rock · rule · root · last · stock · lean · chair · bank

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. stock — goods
  3. stock — shares
  4. root — the cause
  5. rock — a stone
  6. bank — for money
  7. bank — for money
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. last — final
  10. rule — a law
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. rule — government
  13. last — finally
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. bank — of a river
  17. lean — thin
  18. chair — a leader
  19. last — to go on
  20. root — of a plant
  21. lean — to bend
  22. root — of a word
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. rock — to move gently

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