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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: ground · toast · lean · root · bear · season · stock · pass

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. season — of the year
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. root — of a plant
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. ground — crushed
  7. root — of a word
  8. lean — thin
  9. lean — to bend
  10. season — in sport
  11. root — the cause
  12. ground — a position
  13. toast — bread
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. ground — the earth
  17. bear — the animal
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. pass — a permit
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. bear — the animal
  23. stock — goods
  24. pass — to spend time

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