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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.

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: scale · ground · perch · race · mate · stock · rock · band

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. race — humankind
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. ground — crushed
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. scale — in music
  9. rock — music
  10. rock — a stone
  11. stock — shares
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. band — a ring
  14. ground — the earth
  15. scale — size or range
  16. mate — a friend
  17. mate — to breed
  18. perch — the fish
  19. band — a music group
  20. stock — goods
  21. race — a contest
  22. mate — a partner
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. race — the arms race

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