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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 · rush · track · coach · mine · chair · rest · root

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. chair — a leader
  3. rest — what's left
  4. stock — goods
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. root — of a plant
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. rush — hurry
  10. rest — what's left
  11. track — a path
  12. stock — shares
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. rest — a break
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. track — a song
  22. track — to keep track
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. root — of a word

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