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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: bass · spring · pop · stock · stand · bowl · suit · field

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. bass — the fish
  3. stock — goods
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. field — a subject
  6. spring — of water
  7. pop — music
  8. spring — a coil
  9. spring — the season
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. field — farmland
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. pop — soda
  14. stock — shares
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. suit — to fit
  17. stand — to bear
  18. suit — in cards
  19. pop — to visit
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. bass — low music
  22. field — for sport
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. suit — clothes

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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