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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: fan · hand · stock · root · arm · bear · wave · current

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. hand — help
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. hand — in cards
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. root — the cause
  9. stock — shares
  10. bear — the animal
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. bear — the animal
  14. current — happening now
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. stock — goods
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. current — of water
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. current — electric
  23. root — of a plant
  24. fan — a supporter

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