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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 116 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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. stock — shares
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. drill — army training
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. rash — a series
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. rash — hasty
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. prune — to trim
  12. drill — the tool
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. net — after costs
  16. drill — a practice
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. snap — to click
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. net — in sport
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. net — for catching
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. stock — goods

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