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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: stock · wave · swing · present · rule · row · club · land

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. present — the time now
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. rule — a law
  7. row — a line
  8. club — for dancing
  9. present — there
  10. land — ground
  11. stock — goods
  12. club — a group
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. club — for golf
  15. row — to paddle
  16. swing — in golf
  17. present — a gift
  18. stock — shares
  19. swing — to play on
  20. rule — government
  21. land — to come down
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. swing — music
  24. rule — to rule out

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