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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 that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. tear — from crying
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. mug — to rob
  6. firm — steady
  7. swing — in golf
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. firm — decided
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. swing — music
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. mug — a cup
  16. stock — goods
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tear — to rip
  19. swing — to play on
  20. firm — a company
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. stock — shares
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. straw — a straw man

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