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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: spring · wax · stock · press · perch · bass · toast · scale

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. stock — shares
  3. stock — goods
  4. perch — the fish
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. spring — of water
  7. press — a publisher
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. scale — size or range
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wax — to grow
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. press — newspapers
  16. bass — low music
  17. toast — bread
  18. spring — the season
  19. spring — a coil
  20. scale — in music
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. press — to push
  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