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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: fork · net · stock · fall · band · hide · chair · rash

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. net — for catching
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. fall — the season
  6. stock — goods
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. rash — hasty
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. rash — a series
  11. fork — in a road
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. chair — a leader
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. band — a ring
  17. band — a music group
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. stock — shares
  20. net — after costs
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. fall — to drop
  24. net — in sport

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