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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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468
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: stock · hide · coach · chest · scale · bass · wave · hand

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hand — help
  3. scale — size or range
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. chest — of your body
  6. stock — goods
  7. hand — in cards
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. chest — a box
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bass — low music
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. stock — shares
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. scale — in music
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. chest — of your body
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. scale — for weighing

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