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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: present · tube · board · pound · season · stock · nail · hand

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. tube — the underground
  3. present — there
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. pound — a weight
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. season — of the year
  9. hand — in cards
  10. season — in sport
  11. board — a committee
  12. stock — shares
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. present — the time now
  17. present — a gift
  18. tube — a container
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. hand — help
  22. stock — goods
  23. board — to get on
  24. nail — for a hammer

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