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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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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: lash · stock · content · perch · arm · cabinet · wound · tear

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. stock — shares
  4. tear — to rip
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — an injury
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. perch — the fish
  14. tear — from crying
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. content — the amount
  19. content — happy
  20. tear — from crying
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. stock — goods
  24. arm — part of the body

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