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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 · rock · snap · track · bore · stock · wound · hand

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. stock — goods
  4. bore — to tire
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. track — to keep track
  7. wound — an injury
  8. track — a song
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. hand — help
  11. rock — music
  12. rock — a stone
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. stock — shares
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bore — to drill
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. snap — to click
  23. track — a path
  24. hand — in cards

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