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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: hand · fine · rash · lash · patient · calf · clip · stock

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. rash — hasty
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. stock — goods
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. fine — high quality
  9. clip — to cut
  10. clip — a video
  11. hand — in cards
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. clip — for paper
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. stock — shares
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. fine — all right
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. rash — a series
  22. hand — help
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. calf — a young 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