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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: craft · nail · cell · stock · rash · mark · mine · band

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. band — a music group
  4. mine — for digging
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. stock — shares
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. mark — a trace
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. mark — a grade
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. craft — boats
  13. rash — a series
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. craft — a skill
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. cell — a phone
  20. cell — in biology
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. band — a ring
  23. rash — hasty
  24. mine — an explosive

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