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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: wound · lie · squash · bear · lash · stock · shower · pop

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. shower — to wash
  4. squash — the sport
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bear — the animal
  7. pop — to visit
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. wound — an injury
  11. lie — to recline
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. shower — rain
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. pop — soda
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. pop — music
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. stock — shares
  21. stock — goods
  22. squash — to crush
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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