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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: game · roll · rash · press · root · stock · lash · perch

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. perch — the fish
  3. stock — shares
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. roll — a cake
  7. press — to push
  8. rash — a series
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. rash — hasty
  11. root — of a word
  12. press — newspapers
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. roll — a list
  15. press — a publisher
  16. root — the cause
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. stock — goods
  19. game — a match
  20. root — of a plant
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. game — wild animals
  24. game — a kind of play

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