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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: root · stock · wound · spring · file · kid · coach · temple

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. spring — of water
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. wound — an injury
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. stock — shares
  9. spring — the season
  10. file — a line of people
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. file — a tool
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. root — of a word
  15. wound — an injury
  16. spring — a coil
  17. file — a document
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. root — of a plant
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. stock — goods
  22. kid — to tease
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. root — the cause

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