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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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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: snap · rock · stock · tube · row · season · ball · fork

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. stock — shares
  4. snap — to click
  5. row — a line
  6. season — of the year
  7. ball — a dance
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. rock — music
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. tube — the underground
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. fork — in a road
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. stock — goods
  18. season — in sport
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. row — to paddle
  21. ball — a great time
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. rock — a stone

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