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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 124 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: stick · band · scale · saw · stock · spring · club · ball

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. band — a ring
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. ball — a great time
  5. saw — the tool
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. ball — a dance
  8. scale — size or range
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. club — a group
  11. band — a music group
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. spring — a coil
  15. stock — shares
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. club — for dancing
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. spring — of water
  20. scale — in music
  21. saw — the tool
  22. stock — goods
  23. spring — the season
  24. club — for golf

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