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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: stock · land · saw · bear · pit · hand · mine · lash

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. land — to come down
  3. hand — help
  4. bear — the animal
  5. pit — a hole
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. mine — for digging
  10. saw — the tool
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. stock — goods
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. saw — the tool
  18. stock — shares
  19. pit — in a race
  20. hand — in cards
  21. land — a country
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. bear — the 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