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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.

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: club · fork · wound · land · mouse · stock · chair · saw

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. land — ground
  3. chair — a leader
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. saw — the tool
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. stock — goods
  8. land — to come down
  9. wound — an injury
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. club — for golf
  13. club — for dancing
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. club — a group
  16. stock — shares
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. fork — in a road
  21. wound — an injury
  22. saw — the tool
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. land — a country

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