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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: snap · field · stock · march · lash · lie · wake · spell

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. spell — letters
  3. stock — goods
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. stock — shares
  6. field — farmland
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. field — for sport
  10. snap — to click
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. march — the month
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. spell — magic
  16. march — the month
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. spell — a short time
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. field — a subject
  24. lie — to recline

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