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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. stand — to bear
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. wound — an injury
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. hand — help
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. wake — a trail
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. hand — in cards
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. stock — goods
  21. plane — a tool
  22. stock — shares
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. temple — side of the head

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