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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: land · wave · sharp · kid · fork · racket · club · stock

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. club — for golf
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. sharp — clever
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. club — for dancing
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. land — a country
  11. club — a group
  12. land — to come down
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. stock — goods
  18. land — ground
  19. kid — to tease
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. stock — shares
  22. kid — child
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. fork — to eat with

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