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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: wound · snap · mark · track · deal · tear · stock · bay

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. tear — from crying
  4. wound — an injury
  5. stock — goods
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. stock — shares
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. wound — an injury
  11. tear — from crying
  12. snap — to click
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. deal — to handle
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. mark — a grade
  17. mark — a trace
  18. track — to keep track
  19. track — a path
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. track — a song
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. tear — to rip

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