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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. bank — for money
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. stock — goods
  5. bark — to shout
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. game — a match
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bank — for money
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. tear — from crying
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. date — the fruit
  16. tear — to rip
  17. game — wild animals
  18. perch — the fish
  19. bank — of a river
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. stock — shares
  24. stock — a soup base

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