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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: swing · stock · cue · mine · wound · fan · straw · fork

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. mine — for digging
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. cue — for pool
  8. stock — goods
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. swing — music
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. wound — an injury
  14. cue — a signal
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. swing — to play on
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. wound — an injury
  20. cue — a hint
  21. stock — shares
  22. fork — in a road
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. swing — in golf

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