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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: band · kick · stock · bowl · bear · mouse · bat · lash

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. band — a ring
  8. bear — the animal
  9. stock — shares
  10. bear — the animal
  11. kick — in football
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. stock — goods
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. band — a music group
  24. bat — the animal

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