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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stock · club · rock · fan · mine · wind · pound · season

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. stock — goods
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. pound — a weight
  11. club — for golf
  12. club — a group
  13. stock — shares
  14. wind — moving air
  15. rock — a stone
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. season — of the year
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. club — for dancing
  21. rock — music
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. season — in sport
  24. wind — moving air

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