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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.

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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 · land · stand · branch · mouse · band · fall · net

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. net — in sport
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. fall — the season
  5. band — a ring
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. band — a music group
  9. stand — to bear
  10. land — to come down
  11. stock — goods
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. net — after costs
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. land — a country
  17. net — for catching
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. stock — shares
  20. fall — to drop
  21. branch — a division
  22. fall — to drop
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. stock — a soup base

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