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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · cabinet · wake · tube · cold · squash · chip

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. squash — to crush
  3. tube — a container
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stock — goods
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. root — the cause
  9. chip — to eat
  10. tube — the underground
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. chip — for betting
  13. cold — not warm
  14. cold — an illness
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. stock — shares
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. squash — the sport
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. root — of a plant
  23. root — of a word
  24. wake — before a funeral

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