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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: stock · branch · land · straw · season · content · root · pop

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. land — a country
  3. land — to come down
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. pop — soda
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. root — of a word
  12. root — of a plant
  13. root — the cause
  14. branch — a division
  15. stock — shares
  16. content — the amount
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. land — ground
  19. stock — goods
  20. pop — music
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. pop — to visit
  23. season — of the year
  24. content — happy

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