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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. capital — money
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. object — to protest
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. bark — to shout
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. stock — shares
  10. capital — a city
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. object — a thing
  13. hand — in cards
  14. stock — goods
  15. object — an aim
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. hand — help
  18. lash — an eyelash

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