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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: rock · wave · bank · bass · cell · stock · calf · lie

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. cell — a phone
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. stock — shares
  6. bank — for money
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. stock — goods
  9. bass — the fish
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. bank — of a river
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. lie — to recline
  17. cell — in biology
  18. bank — for money
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. bass — low music
  24. rock — a stone

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