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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: cue · rash · mine · prune · stock · dip · root · coach

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. cue — a hint
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. rash — a series
  5. cue — for pool
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. rash — hasty
  8. cue — a signal
  9. root — the cause
  10. stock — shares
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. prune — to trim
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. stock — goods
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. root — of a word
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. mine — for digging
  21. root — of a plant
  22. dip — to sink
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. prune — to trim

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