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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: lash · roll · stock · bore · wax · wound · cold · trunk

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. roll — a list
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. cold — an illness
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. cold — not warm
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. bore — to drill
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — an injury
  16. roll — a cake
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. bore — to tire
  20. wax — to grow
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. stock — goods
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. lash — to lash out

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