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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 · temple · march · snap · stock · cap · bark · game

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. root — of a word
  4. cap — a lid
  5. cap — a hat
  6. march — the month
  7. game — a match
  8. snap — to click
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. root — of a plant
  12. game — wild animals
  13. march — music
  14. root — the cause
  15. cap — of ice
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. stock — shares
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. stock — goods
  24. march — the month

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