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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. tube — the underground
  3. tube — a container
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. stock — goods
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. tear — from crying
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. tear — from crying
  18. kick — in football
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. foot — a measure
  22. tear — to rip
  23. stock — shares
  24. tube — in a tire

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