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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 116 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 · net · wound · file · wake · stock · coach · stand

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. stock — goods
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. net — in sport
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. file — a line of people
  7. wound — an injury
  8. stock — shares
  9. file — a document
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. wake — a trail
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. file — a tool
  20. stand — to bear
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. net — after costs
  23. net — for catching
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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