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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: wave · hand · bear · stock · track · mine · bass · wound

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. bear — the animal
  3. mine — for digging
  4. bass — low music
  5. bass — the fish
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. hand — help
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. bear — the animal
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. stock — goods
  13. hand — in cards
  14. track — a path
  15. wound — an injury
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. track — to keep track
  19. stock — shares
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. wound — an injury

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