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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: field · bound · nail · wake · cap · stock · bass · pound

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. 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. bass — the instrument
  2. wake — a trail
  3. cap — a lid
  4. bass — low music
  5. field — for sport
  6. bound — certain
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. pound — a weight
  10. cap — a hat
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. bound — obliged
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. bass — the fish
  16. cap — of ice
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. field — a subject
  21. field — farmland
  22. stock — shares
  23. bound — tied together
  24. 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