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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: wave · bass · field · stock · bank · rock · snap · saw

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. rock — music
  3. bank — of a river
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. bank — for money
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. saw — the tool
  9. stock — goods
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. rock — a stone
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. field — a subject
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. snap — to click
  19. field — farmland
  20. bass — the fish
  21. saw — the tool
  22. bass — low music
  23. bank — for money
  24. field — for sport

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