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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stock · hand · craft · rush · spring · lie · fan · content

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. stock — shares
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. spring — a coil
  5. spring — of water
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. lie — to recline
  9. rush — hurry
  10. craft — a skill
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. hand — help
  15. content — happy
  16. stock — goods
  17. spring — the season
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. content — the amount
  22. craft — boats
  23. hand — in cards
  24. fan — a supporter

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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