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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: stock · root · land · kid · vault · bark · trunk · scale

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. root — the cause
  3. kid — to tease
  4. stock — goods
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. scale — size or range
  7. land — to come down
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. kid — child
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. land — ground
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. vault — a safe
  15. bark — to shout
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. root — of a word
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. land — a country
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. scale — in music
  24. root — of a plant

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