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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: row · stock · mine · tube · bay · wound · chip · nail

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. stock — shares
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. mine — for digging
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. wound — an injury
  9. chip — for betting
  10. row — to paddle
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. tube — a container
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. row — a line
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. chip — to eat
  20. tube — the underground
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. stock — goods
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. wound — an injury

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