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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: fan · bear · tear · stock · pound · bulb · roll · deal

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. stock — goods
  4. roll — a list
  5. tear — to rip
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. deal — to handle
  10. bulb — for light
  11. tear — from crying
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. roll — a cake
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. bulb — for light
  17. pound — a weight
  18. stock — shares
  19. bear — the animal
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. tear — from crying

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