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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: wound · rush · bass · stock · mine · bore

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mine — for digging
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. bore — to drill
  6. stock — shares
  7. bass — low music
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. bore — to tire
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rush — hurry
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. stock — goods
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. bass — the fish

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