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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ruler · fall · lash · stock · wind · snap

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. 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. stock — shares
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. fall — the season
  6. wind — moving air
  7. fall — to drop
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. snap — to click
  14. fall — to drop
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. wind — moving air
  18. 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