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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: pop · stock · ground · wake · march · wound · pitcher · dip

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. wound — an injury
  6. pop — to visit
  7. ground — a position
  8. ground — crushed
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. pop — soda
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. pop — music
  13. dip — to sink
  14. stock — goods
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. march — the month
  17. march — music
  18. stock — shares
  19. ground — the earth
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. march — the month
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. wake — a trail
  24. dip — to dunk

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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