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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: bore · cold · hide · mate · stock · bank · cue · lash

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. stock — shares
  3. cue — a signal
  4. bore — to tire
  5. bank — for money
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bank — for money
  8. mate — to breed
  9. cold — an illness
  10. cue — a hint
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. cue — for pool
  14. mate — a friend
  15. bore — to drill
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. stock — goods
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. bank — of a river
  21. mate — a partner
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. cold — not warm

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