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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: wind · stock · straw · object · can · root · fall · bound

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. can — a tin
  3. fall — the season
  4. wind — moving air
  5. fall — to drop
  6. root — of a word
  7. fall — to drop
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. stock — goods
  10. can — to be able to
  11. root — of a plant
  12. wind — moving air
  13. object — to protest
  14. root — the cause
  15. object — a thing
  16. bound — obliged
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. can — a tin
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. bound — tied together
  22. object — an aim
  23. stock — shares
  24. bound — certain

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