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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: bulb · march · foot · root · track · wake · degree · stock

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. degree — an amount
  6. root — the cause
  7. march — the month
  8. degree — temperature
  9. bulb — for light
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. foot — a measure
  12. wake — a trail
  13. march — the month
  14. track — a song
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. stock — shares
  17. track — a path
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. bulb — for light
  20. degree — from a university
  21. march — music
  22. root — of a plant
  23. stock — goods
  24. track — to keep track

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