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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: net · rash · calf · race · bank · stock · fork · mate

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. net — after costs
  3. race — a contest
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. stock — goods
  7. bank — for money
  8. race — humankind
  9. net — for catching
  10. bank — of a river
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. mate — to breed
  13. fork — in a road
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. stock — shares
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. mate — a friend
  18. bank — for money
  19. rash — a series
  20. mate — a partner
  21. net — in sport
  22. race — the arms race
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. rash — hasty

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