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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. stock — shares
  4. current — happening now
  5. stem — to come from
  6. rash — a series
  7. tear — from crying
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. rash — hasty
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. spell — letters
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. spell — a short time
  15. bank — for money
  16. stock — goods
  17. bank — for money
  18. current — of water
  19. bank — of a river
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. current — electric
  23. spell — magic
  24. tear — from crying

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