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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. field — farmland
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. roll — a list
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. stock — shares
  9. craft — a skill
  10. stock — goods
  11. roll — a cake
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. field — for sport
  14. rush — hurry
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. craft — boats
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. field — a subject

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