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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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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: lean · band · stock · wind · suit · ground · firm · craft

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. ground — a position
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. firm — steady
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — moving air
  8. band — a music group
  9. ground — the earth
  10. craft — a skill
  11. stock — shares
  12. suit — in cards
  13. lean — to bend
  14. suit — clothes
  15. band — a ring
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. ground — crushed
  19. lean — thin
  20. craft — boats
  21. firm — a company
  22. suit — to fit
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. firm — decided

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