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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 120 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: firm · lash · capital · straw · wound · stock · pop · rush

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. pop — to visit
  3. pop — soda
  4. stock — shares
  5. firm — a company
  6. stock — goods
  7. firm — steady
  8. capital — a city
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. pop — music
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. firm — decided
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. rush — hurry
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — an injury
  24. rush — a thrill

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