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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: clip · stand · stock · squash · scale · jam · temple · row

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. stock — goods
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. row — a line
  7. squash — the sport
  8. stand — to bear
  9. clip — a video
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. squash — to crush
  12. scale — in music
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. scale — size or range
  15. row — to paddle
  16. clip — for paper
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. stock — shares
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. clip — to cut
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. row — a quarrel

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