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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: plane · saw · stock · club · band · track · chip · present

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. saw — the tool
  3. club — for golf
  4. club — a group
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. stock — goods
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. present — there
  9. band — a music group
  10. track — a song
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. saw — the tool
  13. chip — to eat
  14. track — to keep track
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. present — the time now
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. chip — for betting
  19. stock — shares
  20. club — for dancing
  21. plane — a tool
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. present — a gift
  24. track — a path

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