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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. rush — hurry
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. bass — the fish
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. bark — to shout
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. bass — low music
  11. stock — shares
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. field — farmland
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. fine — all right
  17. field — a subject
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. stock — goods
  23. field — for sport
  24. fine — high quality

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