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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. row — a line
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. pound — a weight
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. stock — shares
  7. suit — in cards
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. staff — employees
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bass — low music
  12. tear — to rip
  13. bass — the fish
  14. row — to paddle
  15. drill — army training
  16. stock — goods
  17. staff — a stick
  18. staff — employees
  19. drill — the tool
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. suit — to fit
  22. tear — from crying
  23. drill — a practice
  24. suit — clothes

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