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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 116 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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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: nail · bear · present · race · bass · stock · rest · cell

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. bass — low music
  3. bear — the animal
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. bass — the fish
  6. cell — in biology
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. rest — what's left
  9. stock — shares
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. present — the time now
  13. rest — a break
  14. cell — a phone
  15. stock — goods
  16. race — a contest
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. rest — what's left
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. race — humankind
  21. bear — the animal
  22. race — the arms race
  23. present — a gift
  24. nail — for a hammer

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