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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 · root · dip · chip · wind · stock · land · squash

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. squash — to crush
  3. net — in sport
  4. root — the cause
  5. stock — shares
  6. dip — to sink
  7. root — of a word
  8. wind — moving air
  9. stock — goods
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. land — a country
  13. squash — the sport
  14. land — to come down
  15. net — after costs
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. chip — for betting
  19. wind — moving air
  20. root — of a plant
  21. land — ground
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. net — for catching
  24. squash — the vegetable

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