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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: tube · fall · cue · firm · pitcher · last · bass · stock

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. fall — to drop
  4. cue — a signal
  5. firm — steady
  6. tube — a container
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. fall — to drop
  9. bass — the fish
  10. tube — the underground
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. cue — for pool
  13. last — to go on
  14. last — final
  15. fall — the season
  16. last — finally
  17. firm — decided
  18. cue — a hint
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. firm — a company
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. stock — goods
  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