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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: temple · stock · squash · wake · land · mug · staff · race

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. race — a contest
  3. squash — to crush
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. race — humankind
  6. staff — employees
  7. land — ground
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. mug — a face
  13. stock — shares
  14. land — to come down
  15. wake — a trail
  16. staff — employees
  17. mug — a cup
  18. land — a country
  19. stock — goods
  20. race — the arms race
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. squash — the sport
  24. staff — a stick

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