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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 · fall · wound · bay · march · board · hand · lash

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. board — a committee
  3. fall — to drop
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. march — music
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. hand — in cards
  10. wound — an injury
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. fall — the season
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. hand — help
  15. stock — shares
  16. wound — an injury
  17. stock — goods
  18. march — the month
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. board — to get on
  22. fall — to drop
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. march — the month

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