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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. tear — from crying
  3. last — finally
  4. stock — goods
  5. tear — from crying
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. tear — to rip
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. firm — a company
  11. row — a line
  12. deal — to handle
  13. season — of the year
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. row — to paddle
  17. season — in sport
  18. firm — decided
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. last — final
  21. firm — steady
  22. stock — shares
  23. last — to go on
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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