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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: pop · stock · current · root · field · mine · wax · bark

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. field — for sport
  3. root — the cause
  4. current — of water
  5. current — happening now
  6. field — a subject
  7. current — electric
  8. root — of a word
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. pop — soda
  11. wax — to grow
  12. stock — goods
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. root — of a plant
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. mine — for digging
  18. stock — shares
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. pop — music
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. field — farmland
  23. pop — to visit
  24. mine — an explosive

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