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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: bore · spring · bark · stock · jam · fan · hide · club

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. spring — the season
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. spring — of water
  8. club — for golf
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. stock — goods
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. stock — shares
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. club — a group
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. spring — a coil
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bark — to shout
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. bore — to tire
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. club — for dancing

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