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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: root · band · bound · face · snap · bass · stock · can

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. can — a tin
  3. root — of a word
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. stock — shares
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. bass — the fish
  8. face — part of the head
  9. bound — tied together
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — to be able to
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. bound — certain
  15. face — to point toward
  16. root — of a plant
  17. band — a music group
  18. bound — obliged
  19. band — a ring
  20. root — the cause
  21. stock — goods
  22. snap — to click
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. face — to confront

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