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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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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: spring · bass · drill · calf · chair · wave · ball · stock

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. spring — the season
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. stock — goods
  8. ball — a great time
  9. drill — a practice
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. spring — of water
  12. ball — a dance
  13. spring — a coil
  14. stock — shares
  15. drill — army training
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. chair — a leader
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. bass — low music
  23. drill — the tool
  24. wave — of the sea

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