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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: mine · craft · snap · fan · stock · face · jam · net

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. face — part of the head
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. face — to point toward
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. stock — goods
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. craft — a skill
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. stock — shares
  16. net — for catching
  17. craft — boats
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. snap — to click
  20. net — after costs
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. mine — for digging
  23. net — in sport
  24. face — to confront

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