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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: chest · cabinet · stock · spring · rock · bass · wave · bank

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. spring — a coil
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. rock — music
  5. spring — the season
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. chest — of your body
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. bank — of a river
  11. bass — low music
  12. chest — of your body
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. chest — a box
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. bank — for money
  20. spring — of water
  21. rock — a stone
  22. stock — goods
  23. bass — the fish
  24. stock — shares

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