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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: court · stock · root · band · lean · deal · spell · rash

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. rash — hasty
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. spell — magic
  5. lean — thin
  6. root — of a plant
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. court — of a king
  10. root — the cause
  11. spell — a short time
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. court — of law
  16. root — of a word
  17. band — a music group
  18. court — for sport
  19. stock — shares
  20. lean — to bend
  21. band — a ring
  22. deal — to handle
  23. spell — letters
  24. stock — goods

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