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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 · bank · press · ground · snap · scale · stock · band

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. bass — the fish
  3. snap — to click
  4. bank — of a river
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. press — newspapers
  7. band — a music group
  8. ground — crushed
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. stock — shares
  11. band — a ring
  12. press — a publisher
  13. ground — a position
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. scale — in music
  16. scale — size or range
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. bass — low music
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. ground — the earth
  21. press — to push
  22. bank — for money
  23. bank — for money
  24. band — a rubber band

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