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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: wave · club · scale · stock · file · net

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. 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. wave — a sudden rise
  2. stock — shares
  3. net — after costs
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. scale — size or range
  6. net — for catching
  7. file — a document
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. club — for dancing
  10. club — for golf
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. scale — in music
  13. file — a tool
  14. file — a line of people
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. net — in sport
  17. club — a group
  18. 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