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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 · mark · stock · lash · bear · saw · perch · kid

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. kid — child
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. hand — help
  6. saw — the tool
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. saw — the tool
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. stock — shares
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. mark — a trace
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. bear — the animal
  17. kid — to tease
  18. bear — the animal
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. hand — in cards
  22. mark — a grade
  23. perch — the fish
  24. stock — goods

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