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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 116 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. rock — music
  3. stock — goods
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. field — a subject
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. field — farmland
  10. rock — a stone
  11. stock — shares
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. field — for sport
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. leaves — lets stay

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