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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: stock · snap · wound · season · fan · bore · chair · nail

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. wound — an injury
  3. season — of the year
  4. wound — an injury
  5. snap — to click
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. season — in sport
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. stock — goods
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. bore — to drill
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. bore — to tire
  19. chair — a leader
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. stock — shares
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. season — to add flavour

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