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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mine · stock · temple · clip · chair · object · can · root

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. clip — to cut
  3. root — the cause
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. root — of a plant
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. object — a thing
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. root — of a word
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. mine — for digging
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. object — to protest
  16. chair — a leader
  17. can — to be able to
  18. can — a tin
  19. stock — shares
  20. clip — for paper
  21. stock — goods
  22. clip — a video
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. object — an aim

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