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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 · pit · spring · temple · ground · foot · stock · wake

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. stock — shares
  3. stock — goods
  4. spring — the season
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. wake — a trail
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. pit — a hole
  13. foot — a measure
  14. ground — crushed
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. ground — a position
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. spring — a coil
  19. ground — the earth
  20. spring — of water
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. pit — in a race

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