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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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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: bowl · last · root · coach · pound · kid · present · stock

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. present — the time now
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. root — of a word
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. last — finally
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. stock — shares
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. last — final
  12. kid — to tease
  13. root — of a plant
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. kid — child
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. root — the cause
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. stock — goods
  22. last — to go on
  23. present — there
  24. present — a gift

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