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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 116 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: mouse · band · net · wind · stock · track · capital · rock

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. net — in sport
  3. capital — money
  4. net — after costs
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. band — a music group
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. band — a ring
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. wind — moving air
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. stock — shares
  14. track — a path
  15. track — to keep track
  16. net — for catching
  17. rock — music
  18. stock — goods
  19. rock — a stone
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. capital — a city
  24. mouse — the animal

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