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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 116 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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. wound — an injury
  3. stock — shares
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. wound — an injury
  11. band — a music group
  12. saw — the tool
  13. lean — to bend
  14. band — a ring
  15. vault — a safe
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. lean — thin
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. stand — to bear
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. coach — a trainer

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