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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: rock · cold · craft · track · mouse · bound · stock · scale

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. track — a song
  3. bound — obliged
  4. stock — goods
  5. track — to keep track
  6. track — a path
  7. scale — size or range
  8. stock — shares
  9. cold — not warm
  10. rock — music
  11. bound — certain
  12. cold — an illness
  13. craft — boats
  14. craft — a skill
  15. rock — a stone
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. bound — tied together
  22. scale — in music
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. craft — a handicraft

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