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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 120 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: deal · wind · wound · arm · capital · stock · coach · rash

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. rash — a series
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wound — an injury
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. stock — goods
  9. capital — a city
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. capital — money
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. stock — shares
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. wound — an injury
  22. deal — to handle
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. rash — hasty

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