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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: rest · stock · hand · prune · snap · root · present · deal

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. snap — to click
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. prune — to trim
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. present — there
  10. root — of a plant
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. root — the cause
  13. rest — what's left
  14. present — the time now
  15. deal — to handle
  16. hand — in cards
  17. hand — help
  18. present — a gift
  19. rest — what's left
  20. prune — to trim
  21. rest — a break
  22. stock — shares
  23. stock — goods
  24. deal — a big deal

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