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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 120 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: band · scale · arm · stock · club · ground · mug · march

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. march — the month
  3. mug — a face
  4. ground — the earth
  5. mug — a cup
  6. march — the month
  7. scale — in music
  8. club — a group
  9. club — for dancing
  10. mug — to rob
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. march — music
  13. club — for golf
  14. stock — shares
  15. band — a ring
  16. ground — crushed
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. scale — size or range
  19. band — a music group
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. ground — a position
  24. stock — a soup base

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