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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · tube · net · cabinet · pound · fork · date · lash

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. fork — in a road
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. date — the fruit
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. net — for catching
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. tube — a container
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. stock — goods
  17. pound — a weight
  18. net — in sport
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. stock — shares
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. tube — the underground
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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