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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: stock · bound · arm · hand · fine · sharp · jam · root

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. hand — help
  3. bound — obliged
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. fine — high quality
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. stock — shares
  9. fine — all right
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. bound — certain
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. sharp — clever
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. stock — goods
  16. root — of a plant
  17. root — the cause
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. root — of a word
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. hand — in cards

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