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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: snap · chair · stock · wave · lash · prune · nail · staff

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. stock — goods
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. prune — to trim
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. staff — a stick
  9. snap — to click
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. stock — shares
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. chair — a leader
  17. staff — employees
  18. staff — employees
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. prune — to trim
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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