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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: scale · mate · bound · stock · wind · court · bass · bulb

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. mate — a partner
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bound — obliged
  5. bulb — for light
  6. wind — moving air
  7. stock — shares
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. court — of a king
  12. bass — low music
  13. bound — tied together
  14. court — for sport
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. bound — certain
  17. court — of law
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. scale — in music
  20. mate — a friend
  21. bass — the fish
  22. mate — to breed
  23. scale — size or range
  24. bass — the instrument

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