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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stock · cell · scale · wound · wake · wind · saw · pop

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. scale — in music
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. pop — soda
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. stock — shares
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. cell — a phone
  11. scale — size or range
  12. wake — a trail
  13. saw — the tool
  14. stock — goods
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. saw — the tool
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wind — moving air
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. pop — music
  23. wound — an injury
  24. pop — to visit

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