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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fall · wound · stock · temple · lash · snap · stick · rock

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. stock — shares
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. snap — to click
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fall — the season
  10. wound — an injury
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. fall — to drop
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stock — goods
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. wound — an injury
  22. rock — music
  23. rock — a stone
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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