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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 120 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
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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: track · squash · wind · cell · stock · mark · band · bass

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. stock — goods
  3. cell — a phone
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. squash — the sport
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. bass — low music
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. wind — moving air
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. track — to keep track
  12. band — a ring
  13. stock — shares
  14. bass — the fish
  15. mark — a trace
  16. mark — a grade
  17. band — a music group
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. track — a song
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. squash — to crush
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. cell — in biology
  24. wind — moving air

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