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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: racket · bank · stock · firm · nail · row · net · wound

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. wound — an injury
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. bank — for money
  6. net — for catching
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. stock — shares
  10. stock — goods
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. bank — of a river
  13. row — to paddle
  14. firm — decided
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. bank — for money
  17. row — a line
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. firm — a company
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. net — in sport
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. firm — steady
  24. wound — an injury

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