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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: wind · content · stock · lash · mine · lie · object · foot

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. object — a thing
  3. content — happy
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. wind — moving air
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. stock — goods
  12. foot — a measure
  13. content — the amount
  14. wind — moving air
  15. object — to protest
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. lie — to recline
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. object — an aim
  21. mine — for digging
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. stock — shares

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