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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: stock · land · spell · club · bound · fan · racket · kid

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. club — for dancing
  3. stock — shares
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. land — to come down
  6. spell — a short time
  7. bound — obliged
  8. stock — goods
  9. kid — child
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. spell — letters
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. kid — to tease
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. club — a group
  18. bound — tied together
  19. club — for golf
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bound — certain
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. spell — magic
  24. land — ground

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