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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: root · mate · content · saw · rush · ground · stock · fall

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  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. saw — past of 'see'
  2. stock — shares
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. root — of a word
  5. saw — the tool
  6. mate — a partner
  7. fall — to drop
  8. mate — to breed
  9. ground — a position
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. content — happy
  12. ground — the earth
  13. fall — the season
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. rush — hurry
  16. root — the cause
  17. stock — goods
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. saw — the tool
  20. content — the amount
  21. mate — a friend
  22. ground — crushed
  23. fall — to drop
  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