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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: fan · stem · nail · ground · fine · stock · pound · squash

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. stem — to come from
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. fine — all right
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. ground — a position
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. squash — to crush
  16. stock — shares
  17. fine — high quality
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. squash — the sport
  21. ground — the earth
  22. ground — crushed
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. stock — goods

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