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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: track · hand · roll · stick · last · scale · stock · wave

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. last — finally
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. track — to keep track
  5. hand — help
  6. scale — in music
  7. last — to go on
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. roll — a cake
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. track — a path
  12. roll — a list
  13. stock — goods
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. hand — in cards
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. track — a song
  23. scale — size or range
  24. stock — shares

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