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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: mine · mate · fan · stock · snap · mug · cell · stand

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. mug — a cup
  3. stand — to bear
  4. mate — a partner
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. snap — to click
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. cell — a phone
  11. stock — goods
  12. mate — a friend
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. mine — for digging
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. stock — shares
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. mug — to rob
  23. mate — to breed
  24. cell — in biology

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