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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: cap · key · root · rush · ground · stock · degree · fork

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. ground — the earth
  4. cap — a hat
  5. cap — a lid
  6. rush — hurry
  7. key — for a lock
  8. root — of a word
  9. ground — crushed
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. ground — a position
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. root — the cause
  14. stock — shares
  15. degree — from a university
  16. degree — an amount
  17. fork — in a road
  18. stock — goods
  19. key — in music
  20. key — the most important part
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. degree — temperature
  24. root — of a plant

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