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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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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: rush · wake · cap · craft · game · spell · object · stock

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. object — an aim
  3. cap — a hat
  4. stock — goods
  5. spell — letters
  6. rush — hurry
  7. craft — boats
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. game — wild animals
  10. object — to protest
  11. cap — of ice
  12. spell — a short time
  13. wake — a trail
  14. spell — magic
  15. object — a thing
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. game — a match
  18. craft — a skill
  19. stock — shares
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. cap — a lid
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. rush — to hurry

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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