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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.

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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: temple · stock · wake · saw · field · root · scale · key

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. saw — the tool
  3. root — of a word
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. key — the most important part
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. stock — goods
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. scale — in music
  11. field — for sport
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. key — in music
  14. field — a subject
  15. root — the cause
  16. scale — size or range
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. saw — the tool
  19. stock — shares
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. wake — a trail
  22. field — farmland
  23. root — of a plant
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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