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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: dip · stock · pound · root · coach · bark · wind · rock

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. stock — goods
  3. rock — music
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. dip — to sink
  6. wind — moving air
  7. stock — shares
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. wind — moving air
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. root — the cause
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. bark — to shout
  16. pound — a weight
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. rock — a stone
  20. root — of a word
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. root — of a plant
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. stock — a soup base

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