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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 120 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: root · rock · stock · hand · bore · bowl · wound · pitch

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. wound — an injury
  5. root — the cause
  6. bore — to tire
  7. pitch — completely
  8. stock — goods
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. rock — a stone
  11. root — of a plant
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. hand — in cards
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. stock — shares
  18. hand — help
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. root — of a word
  24. bore — to drill

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