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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: stock · fan · band · current · roll · row · chair · cell

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. cell — in biology
  3. stock — shares
  4. band — a music group
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. current — happening now
  8. row — to paddle
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. stock — goods
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. current — electric
  14. roll — a cake
  15. current — of water
  16. band — a ring
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. row — a line
  20. cell — a phone
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. roll — a list
  23. chair — a leader
  24. chair — to sit on

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