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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. net — in sport
  3. rash — a series
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. rash — hasty
  6. stock — goods
  7. net — for catching
  8. stock — shares
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. shower — rain
  12. prune — to trim
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. shower — to wash
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. prune — to trim
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. net — after costs

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