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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.

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: mine · firm · wind · bowl · tube · drill · rock · stock

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. firm — steady
  3. mine — for digging
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. tube — the underground
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. wind — moving air
  9. firm — decided
  10. tube — a container
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. stock — shares
  14. rock — a stone
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. drill — army training
  17. drill — the tool
  18. stock — goods
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. wind — moving air
  21. firm — a company
  22. drill — a practice
  23. rock — music
  24. rock — to move gently

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