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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 · bear · racket · cold · mouse · stock · ground · rock

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ground — the earth
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. rock — a stone
  9. rock — music
  10. wound — an injury
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. bear — the animal
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. cold — not warm
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. bear — the animal
  21. stock — goods
  22. cold — an illness
  23. stock — shares
  24. ground — a position

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