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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: club · bass · saw · stock · file · arm · tube · mate

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  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. club — a group
  2. stock — shares
  3. mate — a partner
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. mate — a friend
  6. saw — the tool
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. tube — a container
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. tube — the underground
  13. file — a line of people
  14. bass — low music
  15. saw — the tool
  16. file — a tool
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. club — for dancing
  19. file — a document
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. mate — to breed
  22. bass — the fish
  23. stock — goods
  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