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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: track · march · bore · mine · clip · stock · root · suit

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. clip — a video
  3. track — to keep track
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. stock — goods
  6. mine — for digging
  7. track — a path
  8. root — the cause
  9. bore — to tire
  10. track — a song
  11. march — music
  12. march — the month
  13. root — of a plant
  14. suit — to fit
  15. bore — to drill
  16. clip — to cut
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. suit — clothes
  19. clip — for paper
  20. march — the month
  21. root — of a word
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. suit — in cards

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