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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 120 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: bass · lash · stock · craft · wind · cue · ground · cap

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. stock — goods
  3. ground — a position
  4. bass — low music
  5. cue — a hint
  6. cap — of ice
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. cap — a lid
  11. cue — a signal
  12. cap — a hat
  13. craft — a skill
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. bass — the fish
  16. craft — boats
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. wind — moving air
  20. ground — crushed
  21. ground — the earth
  22. cue — for pool
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. craft — a handicraft

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