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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · capital · cabinet · stock · squash · straw · patient · spring

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. stock — shares
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. spring — of water
  6. spring — a coil
  7. squash — the sport
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. stock — goods
  13. spring — the season
  14. capital — a city
  15. root — of a word
  16. root — of a plant
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. squash — to crush
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. root — the cause
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. capital — money
  24. patient — a sick person

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