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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. roll — a cake
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. current — of water
  6. spring — the season
  7. spring — of water
  8. roll — a list
  9. rest — what's left
  10. spring — a coil
  11. stem — to come from
  12. stock — shares
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. board — a committee
  15. rest — a break
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. rest — what's left
  18. board — to get on
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. current — electric
  23. current — happening now
  24. stock — goods

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