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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: staff · mark · field · firm · stock · racket · fan · bear

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. stock — shares
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. stock — goods
  7. firm — a company
  8. bear — the animal
  9. firm — decided
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. staff — employees
  13. field — for sport
  14. staff — employees
  15. staff — a stick
  16. bear — the animal
  17. mark — a trace
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. field — farmland
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. field — a subject
  22. firm — steady
  23. mark — a grade
  24. racket — for tennis

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