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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: key · bass · wake · mine · roll · stock · mouse · board

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. bass — low music
  4. stock — shares
  5. board — a committee
  6. mine — for digging
  7. board — to get on
  8. bass — the fish
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. roll — a cake
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. stock — goods
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. key — the most important part
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. roll — a list
  21. wake — a trail
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. key — in 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