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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 120 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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. stand — to bear
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. spell — magic
  6. bass — low music
  7. press — a publisher
  8. bass — the fish
  9. stock — shares
  10. tear — from crying
  11. wind — moving air
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. wind — moving air
  15. stock — goods
  16. tear — to rip
  17. stem — to come from
  18. spell — a short time
  19. press — newspapers
  20. press — to push
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. tear — from crying
  24. spell — letters

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