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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: march · stock · bass · jam · ruler · plane · mine · shower

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. mine — for digging
  3. stock — shares
  4. march — the month
  5. bass — the fish
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. shower — rain
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. march — the month
  12. march — music
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. bass — low music
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. stock — goods
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. shower — to wash

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