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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: bass · wake · cell · arm · roll · stock · cabinet · fan

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. roll — a list
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. roll — a cake
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. stock — goods
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. bass — low music
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. cell — a phone
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. stock — shares
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. wake — a trail
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. cell — in biology
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. fan — a supporter

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