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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 120 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: stick · bass · fork · present · stock · chest · cap · bound

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. chest — of your body
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. bound — tied together
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. bound — obliged
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. cap — a hat
  11. present — there
  12. present — a gift
  13. bass — low music
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. bass — the fish
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. stock — goods
  18. bound — certain
  19. stock — shares
  20. present — the time now
  21. cap — of ice
  22. fork — in a road
  23. cap — a lid
  24. chest — of your body

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