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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. bank — for money
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. stock — goods
  9. snap — to click
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. wound — an injury
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bank — for money
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. stock — shares
  20. bank — of a river
  21. cell — in biology
  22. perch — the fish
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. calf — a young animal

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