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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. wake — a trail
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. stock — shares
  8. craft — boats
  9. saw — the tool
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. net — in sport
  15. net — after costs
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. craft — a skill
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. saw — the tool
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. net — for catching
  24. craft — a handicraft

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