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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: press · wave · fan · firm · file · stock · snap · stem

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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. file — a tool
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. press — a publisher
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. firm — a company
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. firm — decided
  9. stock — shares
  10. file — a document
  11. stem — to come from
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. firm — steady
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. snap — to click
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. press — newspapers
  22. press — to push
  23. stock — goods
  24. file — a line of people

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