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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: fan · stock · deal · spring · temple · wound · prune · lash

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. wound — an injury
  5. prune — to trim
  6. spring — the season
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. prune — to trim
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. stock — goods
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. spring — of water
  15. spring — a coil
  16. deal — to handle
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. wound — an injury
  24. stock — shares

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