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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. tear — to rip
  4. clip — a video
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. tear — from crying
  8. net — for catching
  9. clip — to cut
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. stock — shares
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. cue — a hint
  15. wax — to grow
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. stock — goods
  18. net — after costs
  19. net — in sport
  20. clip — for paper
  21. cue — a signal
  22. branch — a division
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. tear — from crying

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