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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: racket · band · temple · row · bound · stock · pop · bowl

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. pop — music
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. band — a music group
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. pop — soda
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. row — a line
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. row — to paddle
  16. bound — tied together
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. bound — certain
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. pop — to visit
  21. band — a ring
  22. stock — shares
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. stock — goods

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