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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: wind · press · root · stock · rest · bowl · clip · fan

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. press — to push
  4. clip — to cut
  5. stock — shares
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. press — newspapers
  10. press — a publisher
  11. root — of a plant
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. wind — moving air
  15. root — the cause
  16. rest — what's left
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. root — of a word
  19. wind — moving air
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. rest — a break
  22. clip — for paper
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. clip — a video

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