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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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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 · cabinet · row · squash · bass · leaves · swing · craft

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. stock — goods
  4. bass — the fish
  5. squash — to crush
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. swing — to play on
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. row — a line
  12. craft — boats
  13. craft — a skill
  14. swing — in golf
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. stock — shares
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. swing — music
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. squash — the sport
  21. row — to paddle
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. bass — low music

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