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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: foot · degree · stock · wake · spell · branch · mate · root

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. stock — shares
  3. stock — goods
  4. spell — magic
  5. root — of a plant
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. foot — a measure
  8. degree — from a university
  9. branch — a division
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. root — the cause
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. mate — a partner
  14. degree — an amount
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. degree — temperature
  18. mate — a friend
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. mate — to breed
  21. spell — letters
  22. root — of a word
  23. spell — a short time
  24. wake — a trail

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