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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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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 · band · lash · race · wind · arm · pound · craft

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. wind — moving air
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. race — a contest
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. band — a music group
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. race — humankind
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. wind — moving air
  13. craft — a skill
  14. band — a ring
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. pound — a weight
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. stock — shares
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. race — the arms race
  23. stock — goods
  24. craft — boats

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