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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: swing · suit · fan · clip · stock · jam · season · wake

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. clip — for paper
  3. season — of the year
  4. suit — in cards
  5. swing — in golf
  6. season — in sport
  7. clip — a video
  8. wake — a trail
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. suit — to fit
  11. suit — clothes
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. swing — music
  15. stock — goods
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. swing — to play on
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. clip — to cut
  24. stock — shares

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