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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stock · spell · rest · land · race · fan

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. rest — what's left
  3. spell — a short time
  4. race — the arms race
  5. rest — a break
  6. race — humankind
  7. land — to come down
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. rest — what's left
  10. land — a country
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. stock — goods
  13. spell — letters
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. stock — shares
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. land — ground
  18. race — a contest

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