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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: roll · stock · tear · object · band · root · chip · court

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. object — an aim
  4. tear — to rip
  5. court — for sport
  6. stock — shares
  7. tear — from crying
  8. court — of a king
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. band — a music group
  11. object — a thing
  12. root — of a word
  13. root — of a plant
  14. chip — for betting
  15. roll — a list
  16. court — of law
  17. roll — a cake
  18. band — a ring
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. object — to protest
  21. chip — to eat
  22. tear — from crying
  23. stock — goods
  24. root — the cause

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