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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. wind — moving air
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. stock — shares
  9. stock — goods
  10. bass — low music
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. row — a line
  15. bass — the fish
  16. rush — hurry
  17. wind — moving air
  18. row — to paddle
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. dip — to sink

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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