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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: fork · leaves · stock · root · lash · mouse · capital · land

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. root — the cause
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. stock — goods
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. stock — shares
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. land — a country
  16. land — ground
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. capital — money
  19. root — of a plant
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. capital — a city
  22. land — to come down
  23. fork — in a road
  24. fork — to eat with

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