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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.

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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: roll · lie · stock · coach · root · bat · fan · row

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. root — of a word
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. roll — a list
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. stock — shares
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. bat — the animal
  14. row — to paddle
  15. root — of a plant
  16. stock — goods
  17. lie — to recline
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. root — the cause
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. roll — a cake
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. row — a line

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