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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. land — ground
  3. tear — to rip
  4. staff — employees
  5. staff — a stick
  6. mate — a partner
  7. tear — from crying
  8. stock — shares
  9. mate — a friend
  10. bear — the animal
  11. mate — to breed
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. fall — to drop
  14. tear — from crying
  15. land — to come down
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. fall — to drop
  18. bark — to shout
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bear — the animal
  21. land — a country
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. staff — employees
  24. stock — goods

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