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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: mark · hand · branch · stock · wax · bowl · ground · root

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. root — of a plant
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. ground — the earth
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. root — the cause
  11. mark — a grade
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. stock — shares
  14. ground — crushed
  15. stock — goods
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. root — of a word
  18. ground — a position
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. hand — help
  21. wax — to grow
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. branch — a division
  24. mark — a trace

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