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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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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: nail · saw · stock · mark · chest · deal

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. 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. saw — past of 'see'
  2. deal — to handle
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. stock — shares
  5. chest — of your body
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. mark — a grade
  10. chest — a box
  11. mark — a trace
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — the tool
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. chest — of your body
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. 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