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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. fork — in a road
  3. rule — a law
  4. rule — government
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. tear — from crying
  10. stock — shares
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. scale — size or range
  13. club — for dancing
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. tear — to rip
  16. scale — in music
  17. branch — a division
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. club — a group
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. deal — to handle
  23. stock — goods
  24. club — for golf

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