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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. pop — to visit
  7. band — a music group
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. stock — goods
  12. mate — a friend
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. mate — a partner
  15. pop — soda
  16. tear — to rip
  17. tear — from crying
  18. pop — music
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. mate — to breed
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. band — a ring
  23. tear — from crying
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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