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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: mine · stock · spring · rock · root · bore · roll · row

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  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. bore — gave birth
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. mine — for digging
  4. root — the cause
  5. root — of a plant
  6. spring — a coil
  7. roll — a list
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. spring — of water
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. row — a line
  13. bore — to tire
  14. root — of a word
  15. stock — shares
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. stock — goods
  18. roll — a cake
  19. rock — music
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. rock — a stone
  22. row — to paddle
  23. spring — the season
  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