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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: bass · hand · root · track · stick · object · lean · stock

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stock — goods
  4. lean — to bend
  5. track — a path
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. object — an aim
  8. bass — the fish
  9. hand — in cards
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. lean — thin
  12. bass — low music
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. track — to keep track
  15. root — of a word
  16. root — of a plant
  17. hand — help
  18. stock — shares
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. track — a song
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. root — the cause
  23. object — a thing
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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