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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: tube · field · pass · stock · lash · racket · wind · land

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. pass — a permit
  3. wind — moving air
  4. tube — the underground
  5. field — farmland
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. land — a country
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. land — to come down
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. field — a subject
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. field — for sport
  15. stock — shares
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. land — ground
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. tube — a container
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. wind — moving air

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