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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: mate · bass · stock · wound · fan · saw · root · capital

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. root — the cause
  3. stock — goods
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. capital — money
  7. mate — a friend
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bass — low music
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. capital — a city
  16. bass — the fish
  17. root — of a plant
  18. saw — the tool
  19. wound — an injury
  20. mate — a partner
  21. root — of a word
  22. stock — shares
  23. mate — to breed
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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