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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. dip — to sink
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. stock — shares
  8. stock — goods
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. fine — all right
  12. last — finally
  13. march — music
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. march — the month
  16. last — to go on
  17. march — the month
  18. fine — high quality
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. stem — to come from
  21. hand — in cards
  22. last — final
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. hand — part of the body

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