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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: fan · craft · bore · stock · bay · mate · wind · root

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. mate — a partner
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. stock — shares
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. mate — a friend
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. bore — to tire
  14. bore — to drill
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. stock — goods
  17. root — of a plant
  18. root — of a word
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. mate — to breed
  21. craft — boats
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. craft — a skill
  24. root — the cause

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