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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 120 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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. stock — goods
  5. stock — shares
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. wound — an injury
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. lean — thin
  14. lean — to bend
  15. wound — an injury
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bat — the animal
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. branch — a division
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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