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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: wake · calf · ball · bass · hand · stock · arm · tear

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. stock — goods
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. ball — a dance
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. ball — a great time
  12. wake — a trail
  13. stock — shares
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. hand — help
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — from crying
  20. hand — in cards
  21. bass — low music
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. tear — to rip
  24. arm — part of the body

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