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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: field · root · net · ruler · rash · stock · kick · branch

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. net — in sport
  4. field — a subject
  5. field — farmland
  6. rash — a series
  7. field — for sport
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. stock — shares
  12. kick — in football
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. stock — goods
  15. branch — a division
  16. net — after costs
  17. rash — hasty
  18. root — of a plant
  19. root — the cause
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. root — of a word
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. stock — a soup base

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