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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 116 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: season · chair · stock · nail · prune · wound · snap · lash

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. wound — an injury
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. prune — to trim
  6. stock — goods
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. stock — shares
  9. season — of the year
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. season — in sport
  12. snap — to click
  13. wound — an injury
  14. chair — a leader
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. prune — to trim
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. nail — on a finger

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