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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 · stock · board · mine · mark · fan · nail · bay

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. board — a committee
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. tear — from crying
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. mark — a grade
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. stock — shares
  13. tear — from crying
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. board — to get on
  16. tear — to rip
  17. mine — for digging
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. stock — goods
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. mark — a trace
  24. mine — belonging to me

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