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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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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: wake · stock · deal · last · saw · scale · fine · bound

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. saw — the tool
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. fine — high quality
  5. wake — a trail
  6. saw — the tool
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. last — final
  11. scale — size or range
  12. fine — all right
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. stock — shares
  15. deal — to handle
  16. bound — tied together
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. last — to go on
  20. stock — goods
  21. bound — certain
  22. bound — obliged
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. last — finally

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