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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: wound · leaves · firm · net · stock · wake · mouse · cold

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. firm — a company
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. cold — an illness
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. net — after costs
  7. stock — shares
  8. firm — decided
  9. wound — an injury
  10. firm — steady
  11. net — in sport
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. cold — not warm
  15. wake — a trail
  16. net — for catching
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. stock — goods
  24. mouse — for a computer

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