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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: root · stock · clip · stand · wound · squash · last · bank

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. last — finally
  3. wound — an injury
  4. clip — to cut
  5. clip — for paper
  6. root — of a word
  7. bank — of a river
  8. stock — shares
  9. bank — for money
  10. root — of a plant
  11. stock — goods
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. squash — to crush
  14. last — final
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. squash — the sport
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. stand — to bear
  19. last — to go on
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. clip — a video
  22. bank — for money
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. root — the cause

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