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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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. stock — goods
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. file — a line of people
  6. stock — shares
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. clip — for paper
  9. file — a tool
  10. fine — high quality
  11. clip — to cut
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. clip — a video
  15. fine — all right
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. branch — a division
  19. file — a document
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. tube — a container
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. tube — the underground

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