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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: bat · bank · stock · mine · coach · bass · can · present

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. mine — for digging
  5. stock — shares
  6. bank — of a river
  7. bass — low music
  8. bank — for money
  9. present — the time now
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. stock — goods
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. can — to be able to
  17. bat — the animal
  18. can — a tin
  19. present — a gift
  20. bank — for money
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. present — there
  23. bass — the fish
  24. can — a tin

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