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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. stock — shares
  8. spring — of water
  9. wake — a trail
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. kid — child
  12. spring — the season
  13. spring — a coil
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. kid — to tease
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. coach — a trainer

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