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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: stand · game · net · last · stock · saw · nail · band

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. net — for catching
  4. band — a ring
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. stand — to bear
  7. net — in sport
  8. saw — the tool
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. game — wild animals
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. stock — goods
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. last — finally
  16. last — to go on
  17. net — after costs
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. saw — the tool
  20. last — final
  21. band — a music group
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. stock — shares

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