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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: staff · wake · hide · season · fan · net · straw · stock

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. staff — employees
  3. season — of the year
  4. stock — goods
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. net — for catching
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. stock — shares
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. net — in sport
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. wake — a trail
  15. staff — employees
  16. net — after costs
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. season — in sport
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. staff — a stick

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