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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: stock · suit · tube · wound · court · kid · nail · lash

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. tube — the underground
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. court — of law
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. stock — shares
  10. suit — in cards
  11. court — for sport
  12. stock — goods
  13. suit — to fit
  14. kid — to tease
  15. wound — an injury
  16. tube — a container
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. suit — clothes
  20. wound — an injury
  21. court — of a king
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. kid — child

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