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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: stock · squash · pound · snap · cell · temple · rash · can

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. stock — shares
  6. snap — to click
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. can — a tin
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. squash — the sport
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. stock — goods
  14. cell — a phone
  15. cell — in biology
  16. rash — a series
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. can — a tin
  19. rash — hasty
  20. can — to be able to
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. squash — to crush
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. pound — a weight

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