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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: bass · wound · wind · rock · degree · stock · bay · suit

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. suit — in cards
  3. wound — an injury
  4. degree — an amount
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. suit — to fit
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. rock — music
  9. stock — shares
  10. wind — moving air
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. bass — low music
  14. suit — clothes
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. rock — a stone
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. degree — temperature
  21. bass — the fish
  22. degree — from a university
  23. stock — goods
  24. rock — to move gently

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