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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 116 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 · stand · snap · stock · bank · hand · ball · wind

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bank — for money
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. stock — shares
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. stand — to bear
  7. snap — to click
  8. hand — in cards
  9. root — the cause
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. bank — of a river
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. ball — a dance
  17. bank — for money
  18. wind — moving air
  19. stock — goods
  20. ball — a great time
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. root — of a word
  23. root — of a plant
  24. hand — help

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