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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.

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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: wind · cap · bear · tube · fan · pit · rock · stock

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bear — the animal
  4. wind — moving air
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. tube — the underground
  7. cap — a hat
  8. cap — of ice
  9. cap — a lid
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. tube — a container
  15. pit — in a race
  16. rock — a stone
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. stock — shares
  21. bear — the animal
  22. pit — a hole
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. stock — goods

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