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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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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: fan · stock · land · bound · club · wound · charge · calf

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. club — for golf
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. land — ground
  6. charge — electricity
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. bound — obliged
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. charge — in control
  13. bound — tied together
  14. land — to come down
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. stock — shares
  17. wound — an injury
  18. charge — a price
  19. bound — certain
  20. wound — an injury
  21. club — for dancing
  22. stock — goods
  23. club — a group
  24. land — a country

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