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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: stock · arm · club · face · current · wind · hide · band

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. club — a group
  4. club — for golf
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. wind — moving air
  8. face — to confront
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. stock — goods
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. face — part of the head
  13. wind — moving air
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. band — a ring
  16. club — for dancing
  17. band — a music group
  18. current — happening now
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. current — of water
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. current — electric
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. stock — shares

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