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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bound · rash · fan · root · wave · temple · stock · cold

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. root — of a word
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. bound — obliged
  9. root — of a plant
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. rash — hasty
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. cold — an illness
  15. root — the cause
  16. bound — certain
  17. stock — shares
  18. cold — not warm
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. stock — goods
  21. rash — a series
  22. bound — tied together
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. wave — with your hand

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