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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: ball · root · stock · chest · firm · file · rock · fan

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. stock — shares
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — a box
  6. ball — a dance
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. file — a tool
  10. root — the cause
  11. root — of a word
  12. firm — steady
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. chest — of your body
  16. file — a line of people
  17. firm — decided
  18. stock — goods
  19. rock — music
  20. ball — a great time
  21. root — of a plant
  22. firm — a company
  23. rock — a stone
  24. file — a document

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