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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: wave · mark · roll · tube · hide · stick · stock · net

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. roll — a cake
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. net — in sport
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. mark — a grade
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. stock — goods
  12. tube — the underground
  13. roll — a list
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. net — after costs
  19. mark — a trace
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. stock — shares
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. tube — a container
  24. tube — in a tire

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