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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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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: plane · stock · rash · straw · pitcher · squash

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. stock — shares
  5. rash — hasty
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. rash — a series
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. squash — the sport
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. squash — to crush
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. plane — a tool
  14. stock — goods
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. squash — the vegetable

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