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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: wake · row · bass · scale · stock · ruler · wound · dip

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. scale — in music
  3. dip — to sink
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. stock — goods
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. bass — low music
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. row — a line
  11. wake — a trail
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. bass — the fish
  14. stock — shares
  15. row — to paddle
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. scale — size or range
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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