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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: band · patient · rock · last · stock · craft · pop · arm

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. pop — to visit
  3. rock — music
  4. pop — soda
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. band — a ring
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. band — a music group
  10. stock — shares
  11. last — to go on
  12. craft — a skill
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. rock — a stone
  17. last — final
  18. stock — goods
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. craft — boats
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. last — finally

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