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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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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: staff · stock · season · track · dip · fan · lean · nail

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. track — a song
  7. track — a path
  8. lean — thin
  9. staff — a stick
  10. stock — shares
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. season — in sport
  14. staff — employees
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. stock — goods
  17. track — to keep track
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. staff — employees
  21. season — of the year
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. dip — to sink
  24. nail — for a hammer

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