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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: band · rest · fan · drill · stock · root · fall · fork

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. drill — a practice
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. band — a music group
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. root — the cause
  9. drill — the tool
  10. rest — a break
  11. stock — shares
  12. band — a ring
  13. fall — to drop
  14. rest — what's left
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. root — of a word
  17. fork — in a road
  18. drill — army training
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. stock — goods
  21. root — of a plant
  22. fall — the season
  23. fall — to drop
  24. rest — what's left

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