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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 124 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: wave · club · scale · stock · file · net · staff · cap

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. stock — goods
  3. cap — a hat
  4. staff — employees
  5. stock — shares
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. net — after costs
  9. club — a group
  10. cap — a lid
  11. file — a tool
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. staff — a stick
  14. club — for dancing
  15. cap — of ice
  16. scale — in music
  17. net — in sport
  18. file — a line of people
  19. net — for catching
  20. staff — employees
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. club — for golf
  23. scale — size or range
  24. file — a document

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