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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: stock · racket · net · snap · current · land · band · hide

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. land — to come down
  4. stock — goods
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. current — of water
  7. stock — shares
  8. net — for catching
  9. current — happening now
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. current — electric
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. net — after costs
  16. band — a music group
  17. band — a ring
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. land — ground
  20. snap — to click
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. land — a country
  24. hide — to keep secret

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