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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 120 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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. hand — in cards
  3. stock — shares
  4. wound — an injury
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. rest — a break
  7. bank — for money
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. scale — size or range
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. bank — for money
  13. bear — the animal
  14. rest — what's left
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. bear — the animal
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. rest — what's left
  19. hand — help
  20. stock — goods
  21. scale — in music
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. bank — of a river

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