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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: object · bound · pitcher · chest · hide · mug · stock · wake

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. mug — a face
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. stock — shares
  7. bound — obliged
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. object — to protest
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. chest — a box
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. mug — a cup
  14. chest — of your body
  15. mug — to rob
  16. chest — of your body
  17. object — a thing
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. object — an aim
  20. bound — certain
  21. wake — a trail
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. stock — goods
  24. bound — tied together

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