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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: bowl · stock · pass · land · date · lean · mouse · net

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. lean — to bend
  3. pass — a permit
  4. land — ground
  5. lean — thin
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. net — in sport
  13. net — for catching
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. stock — shares
  20. stock — goods
  21. date — the fruit
  22. land — a country
  23. land — to come down
  24. net — after costs

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