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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: object · stock · pop · hand · squash · root · spell · cold

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. stock — shares
  3. object — an aim
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. pop — soda
  6. pop — to visit
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. spell — magic
  9. object — to protest
  10. object — a thing
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. squash — the sport
  13. hand — help
  14. spell — a short time
  15. cold — not warm
  16. root — of a plant
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. root — of a word
  19. squash — to crush
  20. root — the cause
  21. spell — letters
  22. cold — an illness
  23. pop — music
  24. stock — goods

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