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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 116 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 · season · kid · march · current · fall · stock · mug

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. march — music
  3. stock — goods
  4. stock — shares
  5. mug — to rob
  6. current — of water
  7. mug — a cup
  8. fall — to drop
  9. kid — child
  10. season — in sport
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. march — the month
  15. current — happening now
  16. kid — to tease
  17. current — electric
  18. mug — a face
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. fall — the season
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. season — of the year
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. march — the month

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