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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: deal · bound · bass · field · can · snap · scale · stock

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. scale — size or range
  3. scale — in music
  4. bass — the fish
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. bass — low music
  7. snap — to click
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. deal — to handle
  10. bound — tied together
  11. field — for sport
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — a tin
  14. bound — certain
  15. stock — shares
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bound — obliged
  18. stock — goods
  19. can — to be able to
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. field — a subject
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. stock — a soup base

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