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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: jam · fall · tube · wax · stock · deal · drill · fan

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. drill — army training
  3. fall — the season
  4. tube — the underground
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. stock — goods
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. drill — a practice
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. drill — the tool
  14. wax — to grow
  15. stock — shares
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. fall — to drop
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. deal — to handle
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. tube — a container

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