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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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468
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: fork · mark · scale · stock · mine · club · rest · wound

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. mine — for digging
  3. rest — what's left
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. club — for dancing
  6. rest — what's left
  7. wound — an injury
  8. stock — shares
  9. wound — an injury
  10. rest — a break
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. mark — a trace
  15. club — for golf
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. stock — goods
  18. club — a group
  19. scale — size or range
  20. mark — a grade
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. fork — in a road
  24. scale — for weighing

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