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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.

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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: dip · chest · wind · rock · spring · fan · stock · plane

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. chest — of your body
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. stock — shares
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. wind — moving air
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. spring — a coil
  11. plane — a tool
  12. wind — moving air
  13. stock — goods
  14. spring — of water
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. rock — music
  19. chest — a box
  20. rock — a stone
  21. spring — the season
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. dip — to sink

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