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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.

Words on the sheet
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: bound · mate · rock · stock · spell · pop · row · straw

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. rock — music
  3. row — a line
  4. mate — to breed
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. bound — obliged
  8. spell — magic
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. bound — tied together
  13. mate — a friend
  14. stock — shares
  15. spell — letters
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. row — to paddle
  18. stock — goods
  19. pop — music
  20. bound — certain
  21. pop — to visit
  22. rock — a stone
  23. mate — a partner
  24. spell — a short time

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