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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. spring — a coil
  3. spring — of water
  4. file — a tool
  5. fall — the season
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. file — a line of people
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. stock — shares
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. stock — goods
  15. fall — to drop
  16. spring — the season
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. file — a document
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. fall — to drop
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. chair — a leader

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