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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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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. net — for catching
  3. tear — to rip
  4. spring — of water
  5. stock — goods
  6. band — a ring
  7. net — in sport
  8. season — of the year
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. tear — from crying
  11. spring — a coil
  12. season — in sport
  13. spring — the season
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. stock — shares
  16. net — after costs
  17. band — a music group
  18. tear — from crying
  19. mug — a cup
  20. mug — a face
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. mug — to rob

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