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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: saw · ball · content · coach · stock · wound · rush · wind

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  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. ball — a dance
  2. stock — shares
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. wind — moving air
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. wound — an injury
  7. content — the amount
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. ball — a great time
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. stock — goods
  13. content — happy
  14. saw — the tool
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. wind — moving air
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. rush — hurry
  23. rush — to hurry
  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