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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. tear — to rip
  3. tear — from crying
  4. net — for catching
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. stock — goods
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. stock — shares
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. bulb — for light
  12. net — after costs
  13. net — in sport
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. tear — from crying
  16. track — to keep track
  17. bulb — for light
  18. track — a song

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