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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: fork · season · root · shower · bank · stock · stem · track

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. fork — in a road
  3. root — the cause
  4. stem — to come from
  5. shower — rain
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. track — a song
  8. bank — for money
  9. stock — shares
  10. bank — of a river
  11. shower — to wash
  12. season — of the year
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. root — of a word
  16. track — a path
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. season — in sport
  20. track — to keep track
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. root — of a plant
  23. bank — for money
  24. stock — goods

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