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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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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: bank · toast · sharp · kick · stock · fall · wound · lash

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  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. sharp — exactly
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. stock — shares
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. bank — for money
  7. fall — to drop
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. stock — goods
  11. sharp — clever
  12. fall — to drop
  13. bank — for money
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. toast — bread
  16. wound — an injury
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. wound — an injury
  19. fall — the season
  20. kick — in football
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. bank — of a river
  23. stock — a soup base
  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