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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: bass · snap · stock · mark · trunk · straw · band · bulb

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. band — a music group
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. bass — low music
  8. mark — a grade
  9. stock — goods
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. bulb — for light
  14. mark — a trace
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. snap — to click
  20. stock — shares
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bulb — for light
  24. band — a ring

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