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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: bass · stock · prune · snap · bowl · bound · mouse · branch

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. bound — certain
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. prune — to trim
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. stock — shares
  11. bass — low music
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. stock — goods
  15. branch — a division
  16. bound — tied together
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bound — obliged
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. bass — the fish
  24. snap — to click

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