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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 124 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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. stock — goods
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. spring — of water
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. branch — a division
  11. stock — shares
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. spring — a coil
  17. game — a match
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. date — the fruit
  20. spring — the season
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. game — wild animals

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