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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: tear · coach · stock · drill · fan · sharp · jam · net

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. stock — goods
  5. sharp — clever
  6. net — for catching
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. net — after costs
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. tear — to rip
  11. drill — army training
  12. stock — shares
  13. drill — the tool
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. drill — a practice
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. tear — from crying
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. tear — from crying
  23. net — in sport
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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