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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. bat — the animal
  7. stock — shares
  8. bank — for money
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. plane — a tool
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. rash — hasty
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bank — of a river
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. lie — to recline
  21. rash — a series
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. bank — for money

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