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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. field — for sport
  3. wound — an injury
  4. stock — goods
  5. bank — of a river
  6. wound — an injury
  7. mine — for digging
  8. bass — the fish
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. stock — shares
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. tear — from crying
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. tear — to rip
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. field — farmland
  20. bank — for money
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. bass — low music
  23. bank — for money
  24. field — a subject

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