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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. spell — letters
  3. tear — to rip
  4. spell — magic
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — from crying
  7. track — a path
  8. bank — of a river
  9. scale — size or range
  10. tube — the underground
  11. scale — in music
  12. bank — for money
  13. mug — to rob
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. stock — goods
  16. mug — a cup
  17. bank — for money
  18. spell — a short time
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. track — a song
  21. track — to keep track
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. tube — a container
  24. mug — a face

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