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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: season · land · lie · stock · cell · current · cap · root

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. cell — a phone
  3. stock — shares
  4. root — of a plant
  5. current — electric
  6. season — of the year
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. land — ground
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. current — happening now
  12. lie — to recline
  13. cap — a hat
  14. root — of a word
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. cap — of ice
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. land — a country
  19. root — the cause
  20. land — to come down
  21. stock — goods
  22. current — of water
  23. cap — a lid
  24. cell — in biology

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