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

Word bank: stock · bound · row · fall · kick · fan

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. bound — obliged
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fall — to drop
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. fall — the season
  7. stock — goods
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bound — tied together
  10. fall — to drop
  11. stock — shares
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. bound — certain
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. row — to paddle
  18. kick — in football

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