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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 120 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
468
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 · band · lash · bowl · race · suit

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  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. bowl — a dish
  2. band — a music group
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. suit — in cards
  6. suit — to fit
  7. net — for catching
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. stock — goods
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. race — a contest
  12. net — after costs
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. tube — a container
  16. net — in sport
  17. stock — shares
  18. tube — the underground
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. band — a ring
  21. suit — clothes
  22. race — the arms race
  23. race — humankind
  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