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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: stock · wound · bank · jam · bat · club · tube · pound

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. pound — a weight
  3. club — a group
  4. wound — an injury
  5. bank — for money
  6. club — for golf
  7. stock — shares
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. bank — for money
  10. club — for dancing
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. stock — goods
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. tube — a container
  15. bank — of a river
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bat — the animal
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. wound — an injury
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. jam — a tight spot

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