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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: row · stock · pound · scale · bass · mine · bear · saw

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. bass — low music
  4. bear — the animal
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. bear — the animal
  8. mine — for digging
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. scale — size or range
  11. saw — the tool
  12. pound — a weight
  13. scale — in music
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. stock — shares
  16. stock — goods
  17. row — a line
  18. bass — the fish
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. saw — the tool
  23. row — to paddle
  24. row — a quarrel

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