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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: ground · stock · mug · saw · last · band · bass · coach

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. mug — a cup
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. stock — goods
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. last — final
  7. bass — the fish
  8. ground — a position
  9. ground — crushed
  10. stock — shares
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. band — a ring
  14. last — finally
  15. saw — the tool
  16. last — to go on
  17. saw — the tool
  18. band — a music group
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. mug — a face
  21. bass — low music
  22. ground — the earth
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. band — a rubber band

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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