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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 116 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: mine · craft · stock · bound · drill · scale · last · stick

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. mine — for digging
  3. scale — size or range
  4. craft — boats
  5. stock — goods
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. scale — in music
  8. drill — army training
  9. bound — certain
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. drill — the tool
  12. bound — obliged
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. stock — shares
  15. last — finally
  16. craft — a skill
  17. last — to go on
  18. drill — a practice
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. last — final
  21. bound — tied together
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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