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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: band · stock · tube · branch · snap · wave · hand · track

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. hand — in cards
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. snap — to click
  5. track — a path
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. hand — help
  9. track — a song
  10. tube — the underground
  11. branch — a division
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. track — to keep track
  14. tube — a container
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. band — a music group
  17. stock — goods
  18. stock — shares
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. band — a ring
  24. wave — with your hand

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