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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: root · spell · trunk · pitch · bat · stock · cue · drill

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. stock — goods
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. drill — the tool
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. root — of a word
  7. drill — army training
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. spell — letters
  11. bat — the animal
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. drill — a practice
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. cue — a hint
  16. cue — for pool
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. cue — a signal
  19. spell — a short time
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. spell — magic
  22. stock — shares
  23. pitch — completely
  24. root — the cause

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