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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 120 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: root · chest · bass · patient · stock · wind · firm · chair

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. root — of a plant
  3. wind — moving air
  4. chest — a box
  5. chair — a leader
  6. firm — decided
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. chest — of your body
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. root — the cause
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. bass — low music
  17. chest — of your body
  18. root — of a word
  19. stock — shares
  20. bass — the fish
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. wind — moving air
  23. firm — a company
  24. firm — steady

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