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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wound · ball · present · stock · cell · drill · net · straw

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. present — the time now
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. net — after costs
  5. ball — a great time
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. stock — goods
  9. present — a gift
  10. wound — an injury
  11. drill — army training
  12. drill — a practice
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. drill — the tool
  16. cell — a phone
  17. ball — a dance
  18. stock — shares
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. wound — an injury
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. net — in sport
  23. net — for catching
  24. present — there

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