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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: stock · suit · wind · foot · fork · clip · pitcher · root

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. suit — to fit
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. fork — in a road
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. clip — for paper
  8. stock — shares
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. wind — moving air
  12. clip — to cut
  13. wind — moving air
  14. root — of a word
  15. foot — a measure
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. clip — a video
  19. suit — clothes
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. stock — goods
  23. root — the cause
  24. suit — 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