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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. mate — a friend
  3. band — a ring
  4. ground — a position
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. root — the cause
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. ground — crushed
  12. stock — shares
  13. ground — the earth
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. mate — to breed
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. stock — goods
  18. root — of a plant
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. root — of a word
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. snap — to click
  23. mate — a partner
  24. band — a music group

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