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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: bore · hand · band · rock · pitch · foot · track · stock

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. rock — a stone
  4. hand — in cards
  5. rock — music
  6. stock — shares
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. band — a music group
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. track — a path
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. stock — goods
  15. bore — to tire
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. hand — help
  18. foot — a measure
  19. track — a song
  20. track — to keep track
  21. pitch — completely
  22. bore — to drill
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. band — a ring

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