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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: root · tear · stock · spell · dip · pitcher · racket · season

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. spell — magic
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. stock — shares
  5. tear — from crying
  6. spell — letters
  7. dip — to sink
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. root — of a word
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. tear — from crying
  13. season — in sport
  14. season — of the year
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. root — the cause
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. tear — to rip
  20. spell — a short time
  21. stock — goods
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. racket — for tennis

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