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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: content · cap · bark · root · ground · pop · lash · stock

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. stock — goods
  3. ground — a position
  4. root — of a plant
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pop — music
  7. stock — shares
  8. content — the amount
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. pop — soda
  11. cap — a lid
  12. root — the cause
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. bark — to shout
  16. content — happy
  17. cap — of ice
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. root — of a word
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. ground — crushed
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. ground — the earth
  24. bark — of a tree

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