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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: bank · squash · clip · pound · bass · roll · mug · stock

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. bass — the fish
  3. squash — the sport
  4. roll — a cake
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. roll — a list
  8. mug — a face
  9. clip — to cut
  10. pound — a weight
  11. bass — low music
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. bank — of a river
  14. clip — a video
  15. mug — to rob
  16. mug — a cup
  17. bank — for money
  18. stock — goods
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. clip — for paper
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. stock — shares
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. bank — for money

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