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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: temple · stock · pass · coach · wake · wound · jam · tear

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. tear — to rip
  4. wound — an injury
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. tear — from crying
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. stock — shares
  13. stock — goods
  14. tear — from crying
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. wound — an injury
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. pass — a permit
  23. wake — a trail
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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