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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. current — happening now
  3. bank — for money
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. swing — in golf
  6. drill — the tool
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. current — electric
  9. stock — shares
  10. stock — goods
  11. fork — in a road
  12. swing — to play on
  13. bank — of a river
  14. field — farmland
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. field — a subject
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. drill — army training
  19. current — of water
  20. swing — music
  21. field — for sport
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. drill — a practice
  24. bank — for money

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