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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: prune · stock · bass · dip · bowl · mine · content · safe

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bass — low music
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. bass — the fish
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. mine — for digging
  9. stock — shares
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. content — happy
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. stock — goods
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. prune — to trim
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. content — the amount
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. dip — to sink

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