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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: date · bay · bank · stock · last · content · root · trunk

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. date — the fruit
  3. stock — shares
  4. bank — for money
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. content — the amount
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. root — of a word
  10. bank — for money
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. root — the cause
  13. content — happy
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. last — to go on
  17. stock — goods
  18. last — final
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. bank — of a river
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. last — finally
  24. root — of a plant

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