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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. ground — a position
  3. lie — to recline
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. stock — goods
  6. wind — moving air
  7. current — of water
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. current — electric
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. branch — a division
  13. stock — shares
  14. ground — crushed
  15. tear — to rip
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. tear — from crying
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. current — happening now
  22. ground — the earth
  23. tear — from crying
  24. wind — moving air

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