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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: tube · bass · scale · date · branch · stand · stock · rush

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. bass — low music
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. scale — size or range
  6. tube — the underground
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. branch — a division
  10. stock — shares
  11. bass — the fish
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. tube — a container
  14. rush — hurry
  15. stock — goods
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. scale — in music
  20. date — the fruit
  21. stand — to bear
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. branch — of a bank

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