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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: racket · saw · bass · nail · stock · lie · pop · spring

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. stock — shares
  5. pop — to visit
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. bass — the fish
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. bass — low music
  10. spring — the season
  11. lie — to recline
  12. saw — the tool
  13. stock — goods
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. spring — a coil
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. pop — soda
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. spring — of water
  24. pop — music

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