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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 120 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 · trunk · root · arm · drill · lie · land · capital

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. drill — the tool
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. root — the cause
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. land — to come down
  9. root — of a plant
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. stock — goods
  13. drill — a practice
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. root — of a word
  16. drill — army training
  17. land — ground
  18. stock — shares
  19. land — a country
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. capital — a city
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. lie — to recline
  24. stock — a soup base

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