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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: court · lash · bass · wound · wake · fine · bay · stock

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. fine — high quality
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. court — of a king
  10. court — of law
  11. court — for sport
  12. wound — an injury
  13. fine — all right
  14. stock — goods
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. bass — low music
  17. wake — a trail
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. stock — shares

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