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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: rash · lash · spell · can · stock · ground · content · cap

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. content — happy
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. spell — letters
  5. can — a tin
  6. spell — magic
  7. rash — hasty
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. cap — of ice
  11. cap — a lid
  12. ground — the earth
  13. can — a tin
  14. rash — a series
  15. ground — a position
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. stock — goods
  18. content — the amount
  19. can — to be able to
  20. cap — a hat
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. ground — crushed
  23. spell — a short time
  24. stock — a soup base

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