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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: pound · fall · board · racket · stock · file · band · fine

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. file — a line of people
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. fine — all right
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. stock — shares
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. pound — a weight
  13. board — to get on
  14. board — a committee
  15. file — a document
  16. file — a tool
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fine — high quality
  19. stock — goods
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. fall — the season
  22. band — a ring
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. band — a music group

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