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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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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: wake · rash · race · bass · stand · stock · wound · club

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. bass — the fish
  3. rash — hasty
  4. club — for dancing
  5. race — a contest
  6. stock — shares
  7. race — the arms race
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. wound — an injury
  12. race — humankind
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. club — a group
  15. wake — a trail
  16. rash — a series
  17. stand — to bear
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wound — an injury
  22. club — for golf
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. bass — low music

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