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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 116 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: coach · root · prune · pop · shower · stock · degree · cap

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. stock — shares
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. root — of a plant
  5. degree — an amount
  6. root — the cause
  7. prune — to trim
  8. shower — to wash
  9. cap — of ice
  10. stock — goods
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. shower — rain
  13. cap — a hat
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. root — of a word
  16. cap — a lid
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. degree — from a university
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. pop — to visit
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. degree — temperature
  23. pop — music
  24. pop — soda

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