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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: leaves · last · rock · staff · stock · pound · plane · root

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. last — finally
  4. staff — employees
  5. rock — music
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. root — of a plant
  8. staff — employees
  9. stock — goods
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. root — the cause
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. last — to go on
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. root — of a word
  17. plane — a tool
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. last — final
  20. pound — a weight
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. staff — a stick
  24. rock — a stone

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