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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 116 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: wound · pitcher · bore · kid · stock · rule · bay · lash

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. wound — an injury
  8. rule — government
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. kid — to tease
  11. rule — a law
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. stock — shares
  14. stock — goods
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. kid — child
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. bore — to drill
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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