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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 · last · capital · press · rush · staff · ground · stock

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. press — a publisher
  3. capital — a city
  4. staff — a stick
  5. staff — employees
  6. ground — a position
  7. root — the cause
  8. staff — employees
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. root — of a plant
  11. press — newspapers
  12. capital — money
  13. last — final
  14. stock — goods
  15. rush — hurry
  16. last — to go on
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. ground — crushed
  20. press — to push
  21. root — of a word
  22. last — finally
  23. ground — the earth
  24. rush — to hurry

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