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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 · wound · stock · file · cue · staff · craft · wake

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. file — a line of people
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. cue — for pool
  5. bass — low music
  6. stock — goods
  7. staff — employees
  8. wake — a trail
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. craft — a skill
  12. bass — the fish
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. staff — a stick
  15. cue — a signal
  16. file — a tool
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. craft — boats
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. file — a document
  21. wound — an injury
  22. staff — employees
  23. cue — a hint
  24. stock — shares

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