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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  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. coach — a trainer
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. tear — to rip
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. stock — goods
  11. branch — a division
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. stock — shares
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. bear — the animal
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. foot — a measure
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. bear — the animal
  22. tear — from crying
  23. leaves — lets stay
  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