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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bass · stock · wound · object · foot · plane · hand · spell

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. spell — letters
  3. spell — a short time
  4. object — an aim
  5. bass — the fish
  6. stock — goods
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. hand — help
  9. plane — a tool
  10. object — to protest
  11. foot — a measure
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. hand — in cards
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. wound — an injury
  16. stock — shares
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. spell — magic
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. object — a thing
  23. wound — an injury
  24. foot — the bottom

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