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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: stock · lash · racket · snap · land · cell · tube · current

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. land — ground
  5. snap — to click
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. land — to come down
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. current — electric
  10. current — happening now
  11. stock — goods
  12. cell — a phone
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. land — a country
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. current — of water
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. cell — in biology
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. tube — a container
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. stock — shares

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