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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: stock · shower · fine · land · safe · fan · season · bulb

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. season — of the year
  4. stock — goods
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fine — high quality
  8. shower — rain
  9. stock — shares
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. land — to come down
  12. land — ground
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. bulb — for light
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. land — a country
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. bulb — for light
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. fine — all right
  23. shower — to wash
  24. safe — a strongbox

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