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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 116 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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. stock — goods
  3. bulb — for light
  4. cold — not warm
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. press — a publisher
  11. stock — shares
  12. bass — low music
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bass — the fish
  16. tear — from crying
  17. press — to push
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. press — newspapers
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. tear — to rip
  23. cold — an illness
  24. ruler — a monarch

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