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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: stock · wound · bank · bay · land · cap · tube · chip

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. stock — goods
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. cap — a lid
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. cap — of ice
  8. cap — a hat
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. bank — for money
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. chip — for betting
  13. land — ground
  14. bank — of a river
  15. stock — shares
  16. chip — to eat
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bank — for money
  19. tube — the underground
  20. tube — a container
  21. land — a country
  22. wound — an injury
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. chip — in a computer

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