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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: current · stock · pound · clip · bass · swing · root · bat

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. root — the cause
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bass — low music
  5. current — happening now
  6. clip — a video
  7. current — of water
  8. clip — to cut
  9. root — of a plant
  10. stock — shares
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. stock — goods
  14. current — electric
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. swing — to play on
  17. pound — a weight
  18. swing — music
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. swing — in golf
  21. clip — for paper
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. root — of a word
  24. bass — the fish

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