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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: march · staff · hand · stock · root · band · lie · dip

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. march — the month
  3. root — of a word
  4. root — of a plant
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. staff — a stick
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — employees
  13. stock — shares
  14. root — the cause
  15. band — a music group
  16. stock — goods
  17. hand — help
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. band — a ring
  20. march — music
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. march — the month
  23. lie — to recline
  24. hand — in cards

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