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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. drill — army training
  4. current — of water
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. can — a tin
  7. drill — a practice
  8. bat — the animal
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. bank — for money
  11. can — a tin
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. bank — of a river
  14. can — to be able to
  15. snap — to click
  16. current — electric
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. stock — shares
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. current — happening now
  22. bank — for money
  23. drill — the tool
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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