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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. rash — a series
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. bass — the fish
  5. mark — a trace
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. stock — shares
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. wound — an injury
  11. rash — hasty
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. bass — low music
  18. mark — a grade
  19. stock — goods
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. perch — the fish
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wound — an injury

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