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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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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: stock · root · cabinet · pit · foot · wound · wind · board

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. pit — in a race
  3. wound — an injury
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. board — to get on
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. board — a committee
  9. foot — a measure
  10. root — the cause
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. pit — a hole
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. wind — moving air
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. stock — shares
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. wound — an injury
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. root — of a plant
  23. root — of a word
  24. wind — moving air

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