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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: ruler · trunk · stock · bass · stand · mine · ground · saw

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. stock — goods
  4. saw — the tool
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. ground — a position
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. saw — the tool
  11. stock — shares
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. bass — low music
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. stand — to bear
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. ground — the earth
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. bass — the fish
  24. ground — crushed

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