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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: root · stock · club · fan · race · sharp · wave · staff

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. root — of a plant
  4. staff — employees
  5. root — of a word
  6. race — humankind
  7. club — for dancing
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. staff — employees
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. stock — goods
  15. root — the cause
  16. race — the arms race
  17. staff — a stick
  18. club — for golf
  19. race — a contest
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. sharp — clever
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. club — a group

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