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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: stock · ground · pop · pitcher · wake · squash · mine · nail

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. stock — shares
  4. pop — soda
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. wake — a trail
  10. mine — for digging
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. squash — to crush
  15. pop — music
  16. ground — crushed
  17. stock — goods
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. pop — to visit
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. ground — the earth
  23. ground — a position
  24. squash — the sport

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