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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. tear — from crying
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. hand — help
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. tear — to rip
  13. stock — goods
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. stock — shares
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. hand — in cards
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. fork — in a road
  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