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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: rush · bass · pound · mouse · stock · key · cold · bore

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bore — to drill
  3. cold — not warm
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. key — the most important part
  7. stock — shares
  8. bass — the fish
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. rush — hurry
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. bass — low music
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. pound — a weight
  16. cold — an illness
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. bore — to tire
  20. key — in music
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. key — for a lock
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. stock — goods

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