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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 120 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 · track · dip · shower · stock · rush · rest · ground

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. track — a path
  3. rest — a break
  4. dip — to sink
  5. wound — an injury
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. track — to keep track
  9. ground — crushed
  10. ground — the earth
  11. rush — hurry
  12. track — a song
  13. shower — to wash
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. rest — what's left
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. stock — shares
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. shower — rain
  21. stock — goods
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. ground — a position
  24. stock — a soup base

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