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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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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: cap · stock · bay · wind · snap · band · shower · wound

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. stock — goods
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. cap — of ice
  9. cap — a lid
  10. band — a music group
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. shower — rain
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wind — moving air
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. stock — shares
  20. band — a ring
  21. shower — to wash
  22. snap — to click
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. cap — a hat

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