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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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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: firm · racket · stock · mug · wax · wound · squash · last

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  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. wound — an injury
  2. wound — an injury
  3. last — final
  4. last — finally
  5. squash — the sport
  6. mug — a cup
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. firm — steady
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. last — to go on
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. stock — shares
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. firm — a company
  18. stock — goods
  19. mug — to rob
  20. mug — a face
  21. firm — decided
  22. squash — to crush
  23. wax — to grow
  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