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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: tube · stock · drill · pitcher · roll · wake · object · root

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. wake — a trail
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. tube — a container
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. stock — goods
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. root — of a plant
  10. roll — a list
  11. drill — army training
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. stock — shares
  14. object — to protest
  15. roll — a cake
  16. drill — a practice
  17. root — of a word
  18. drill — the tool
  19. tube — the underground
  20. object — a thing
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. root — the cause
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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