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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. branch — a division
  3. drill — army training
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. tear — from crying
  6. drill — a practice
  7. stand — to bear
  8. stock — goods
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. tube — a container
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. bound — obliged
  15. bound — certain
  16. swing — music
  17. swing — to play on
  18. swing — in golf
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. bound — tied together
  21. drill — the tool
  22. tear — to rip
  23. tube — the underground
  24. stock — shares

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