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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 · plane · bowl · capital · roll · chip · clip · stock

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. stock — shares
  4. plane — a tool
  5. root — of a plant
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. chip — to eat
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. capital — money
  13. chip — for betting
  14. clip — for paper
  15. roll — a cake
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. capital — a city
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. root — the cause
  20. clip — to cut
  21. stock — goods
  22. roll — a list
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. root — of a word

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