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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: mine · tube · jam · stock · bear · scale · bass · staff

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. stock — shares
  3. bear — the animal
  4. scale — size or range
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. scale — in music
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. bass — low music
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. mine — for digging
  14. tube — the underground
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. staff — a stick
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. bear — the animal
  22. staff — employees
  23. stock — goods
  24. tube — a container

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