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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 · fan · season · chest · lean · roll · toast · track

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. roll — a cake
  4. stock — goods
  5. season — of the year
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. chest — a box
  8. stock — shares
  9. chest — of your body
  10. season — in sport
  11. track — a path
  12. track — a song
  13. track — to keep track
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. roll — a list
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. toast — bread
  21. chest — of your body
  22. lean — thin
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. lean — to bend

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