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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: root · stock · hand · track · content · rush · wake · foot

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  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 — the amount
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. track — a song
  4. hand — help
  5. track — to keep track
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. content — happy
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. stock — goods
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. stock — shares
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. root — of a word
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. rush — hurry
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. hand — in cards
  20. foot — a measure
  21. wake — a trail
  22. root — the cause
  23. track — a path
  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