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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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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: vault · stock · scale · foot · kid · bay · root · stem

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. stock — shares
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. root — the cause
  5. vault — a safe
  6. root — of a word
  7. stock — goods
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. foot — a measure
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. kid — to tease
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. stem — to come from
  17. root — of a plant
  18. kid — child
  19. scale — in music
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. scale — size or range
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. bay — a horse colour

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