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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. row — a line
  3. perch — the fish
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. fork — in a road
  9. wind — moving air
  10. snap — to click
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. stock — goods
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. stock — shares
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. field — a subject
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. field — farmland
  23. wind — moving air
  24. field — for sport

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