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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: march · foot · root · stock · land · bore · deal · key

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. march — the month
  3. land — a country
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. root — of a plant
  7. bore — to drill
  8. key — the most important part
  9. stock — shares
  10. root — the cause
  11. land — to come down
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. foot — a measure
  14. stock — goods
  15. root — of a word
  16. key — in music
  17. march — the month
  18. march — music
  19. key — for a lock
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. bore — to tire
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. deal — to handle
  24. deal — an agreement

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