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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: swing · fan · stock · bass · mine · craft · bay · jam

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bass — the fish
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. craft — a skill
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. stock — shares
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. craft — boats
  14. swing — to play on
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. mine — for digging
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. swing — music
  21. bass — low music
  22. swing — in golf
  23. stock — goods
  24. jam — in traffic

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