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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: stock · chip · pound · root · rock · branch · rash · clip

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rash — a series
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. clip — to cut
  6. branch — a division
  7. clip — for paper
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. root — of a plant
  12. rash — hasty
  13. stock — goods
  14. root — of a word
  15. chip — for betting
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. stock — shares
  18. root — the cause
  19. chip — to eat
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. clip — a video
  23. pound — a weight
  24. rock — a stone

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