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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: root · mug · pitch · ground · stock · wound · roll · bear

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. roll — a cake
  4. root — of a word
  5. mug — a face
  6. stock — goods
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. root — the cause
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. wound — an injury
  13. mug — a cup
  14. root — of a plant
  15. bear — the animal
  16. roll — a list
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. bear — the animal
  20. ground — a position
  21. ground — the earth
  22. ground — crushed
  23. mug — to rob
  24. pitch — completely

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