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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: net · chest · root · stock · ground · mark · cell · rest

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. chest — a box
  3. stock — shares
  4. root — of a plant
  5. chest — of your body
  6. ground — the earth
  7. mark — a grade
  8. cell — in biology
  9. net — after costs
  10. ground — a position
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. net — for catching
  13. root — the cause
  14. net — in sport
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. cell — a phone
  17. rest — a break
  18. stock — goods
  19. chest — of your body
  20. rest — what's left
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. root — of a word
  23. mark — a trace
  24. ground — crushed

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