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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: ground · kick · wax · stock · ball · patient · root · spell

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. ground — crushed
  3. spell — letters
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. ball — a great time
  6. wax — to grow
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. stock — goods
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. root — the cause
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. root — of a plant
  13. spell — a short time
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. kick — in football
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. ball — a dance
  19. spell — magic
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. root — of a word
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. ground — a position
  24. stock — shares

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