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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. season — in sport
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stock — shares
  7. cue — a signal
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. stem — to come from
  11. stock — goods
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. drill — a practice
  14. band — a music group
  15. season — of the year
  16. cue — a hint
  17. drill — army training
  18. drill — the tool
  19. cue — for pool
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. band — a ring
  24. lash — an eyelash

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