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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: pound · press · kid · foot · perch · bass · nail · stock

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. bass — low music
  4. perch — the fish
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. press — a publisher
  9. bass — the fish
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. stock — shares
  13. pound — a weight
  14. kid — to tease
  15. foot — a measure
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. press — newspapers
  20. press — to push
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. stock — goods
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bass — the instrument

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