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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. firm — steady
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. plane — a tool
  8. stem — to come from
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. firm — decided
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. wind — moving air
  15. stock — goods
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. snap — to click
  19. stock — shares
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. wound — an injury
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. wound — an injury
  24. firm — a company

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