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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: track · land · dip · racket · bound · stock · band · leaves

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. land — to come down
  4. stock — goods
  5. band — a music group
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. track — a path
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. track — a song
  12. stock — shares
  13. band — a ring
  14. bound — obliged
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. land — a country
  17. track — to keep track
  18. land — ground
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. dip — to sink
  24. bound — certain

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