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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.

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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 got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — to rip
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. root — of a word
  6. tear — from crying
  7. fine — high quality
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. stock — shares
  11. wake — a trail
  12. fine — all right
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. root — the cause
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. rock — a stone
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. rock — music
  19. perch — the fish
  20. root — of a plant
  21. stock — goods
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. wake — before a funeral

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