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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 120 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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. spring — the season
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. craft — boats
  7. staff — employees
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. squash — the sport
  12. spring — a coil
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. stock — shares
  15. squash — to crush
  16. row — to paddle
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. stock — goods
  20. row — a line
  21. staff — employees
  22. staff — a stick
  23. craft — a skill
  24. spring — of water

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