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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: stock · bat · root · game · kick · staff · prune · mate

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. game — a match
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. staff — employees
  6. kick — in football
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. bat — the animal
  9. root — of a word
  10. stock — goods
  11. prune — to trim
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. mate — a friend
  15. stock — shares
  16. staff — employees
  17. game — wild animals
  18. root — of a plant
  19. mate — to breed
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. mate — a partner
  23. root — the cause
  24. prune — to trim

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