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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 116 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: rock · root · stock · kick · pound · cap · wound · land

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. wound — an injury
  4. land — a country
  5. land — ground
  6. stock — shares
  7. kick — in football
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. root — the cause
  10. stock — goods
  11. land — to come down
  12. cap — a lid
  13. root — of a word
  14. cap — a hat
  15. cap — of ice
  16. wound — an injury
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. rock — music
  19. pound — a weight
  20. root — of a plant
  21. rock — a stone
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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