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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. spell — letters
  3. stand — to bear
  4. stock — goods
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. net — in sport
  7. tear — to rip
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. spell — a short time
  11. net — for catching
  12. tear — from crying
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. perch — the fish
  17. net — after costs
  18. spell — magic
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. stock — shares
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. tear — from crying

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