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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: bay · object · wake · bound · mine · pitch · stock · fan

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. stock — goods
  4. bound — certain
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. object — an aim
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. mine — for digging
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. object — to protest
  15. bound — obliged
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. wake — a trail
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. pitch — completely
  21. object — a thing
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. pitch — a sports field
  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