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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.

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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: can · fine · stick · dip · stock · shower · saw · lash

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. dip — to sink
  5. can — a tin
  6. shower — to wash
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. shower — rain
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. stock — shares
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. saw — the tool
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. can — to be able to
  18. fine — all right
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. saw — the tool
  23. can — a tin
  24. fine — high quality

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