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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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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 · stock · ruler · swing · race · band

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. band — a music group
  3. swing — music
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. stock — goods
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. race — humankind
  9. swing — in golf
  10. stock — shares
  11. swing — to play on
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. race — a contest
  16. race — the arms race
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. nail — for a hammer

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