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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: snap · straw · scale · toast · saw · ground · stock · shower

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. scale — in music
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. toast — bread
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. shower — to wash
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. ground — crushed
  13. ground — the earth
  14. scale — size or range
  15. saw — the tool
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. saw — the tool
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. snap — to click
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. shower — rain
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. ground — a position
  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