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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: wound · fall · lash · mate · hide · stock · tube · pitch

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. mate — a partner
  4. fall — to drop
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. pitch — completely
  9. tube — the underground
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. stock — shares
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. stock — goods
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. tube — a container
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — the season
  21. mate — a friend
  22. wound — an injury
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. lash — an eyelash

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