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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.

Words on the sheet
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: rock · file · wave · spring · ball · stock · cell · club

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. cell — in biology
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. club — a group
  6. rock — a stone
  7. stock — shares
  8. ball — a great time
  9. file — a document
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. cell — a phone
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. spring — the season
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. ball — a dance
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. spring — a coil
  19. file — a line of people
  20. club — for dancing
  21. spring — of water
  22. stock — goods
  23. file — a tool
  24. club — for golf

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