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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. season — in sport
  5. stock — shares
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. wind — moving air
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. season — of the year
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. band — a ring
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. stem — to come from
  22. band — a music group
  23. wind — moving air
  24. arm — a part of something

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