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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. clip — to cut
  4. mate — a friend
  5. stock — goods
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. clip — for paper
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. mate — a partner
  11. bark — to shout
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. mate — to breed
  18. saw — the tool
  19. clip — a video
  20. saw — the tool
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. stock — shares
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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