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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: snap · bear · chest · wound · staff · bay · stock · can

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bear — the animal
  4. wound — an injury
  5. staff — a stick
  6. stock — shares
  7. snap — to click
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. staff — employees
  10. can — a tin
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. bear — the animal
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. can — to be able to
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. staff — employees
  19. can — a tin
  20. stock — goods
  21. chest — a box
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. chest — of your body

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