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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. saw — the tool
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. stock — shares
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. saw — the tool
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. fine — all right
  10. tear — from crying
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. stock — goods
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. rash — a series
  16. rash — hasty
  17. tear — to rip
  18. fine — high quality
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. wound — an injury
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. tear — from crying
  24. lash — an eyelash

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