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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: bowl · stock · chest · fan · deal · band · fall · arm

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. fall — to drop
  7. band — a ring
  8. fall — the season
  9. stock — goods
  10. chest — of your body
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. fall — to drop
  13. chest — of your body
  14. stock — shares
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. deal — to handle
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. band — a music group
  21. chest — a box
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. fan — to cool the air

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