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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fork · game · stock · rash · lash · stick · nail · spring

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  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. rash — hasty
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. spring — the season
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. game — wild animals
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. fork — in a road
  18. spring — a coil
  19. stock — shares
  20. rash — a series
  21. game — a match
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. spring — of water
  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