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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. tear — to rip
  3. pop — to visit
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. shower — rain
  6. fine — high quality
  7. bear — the animal
  8. craft — a skill
  9. fine — all right
  10. tear — from crying
  11. shower — to wash
  12. tear — from crying
  13. wound — an injury
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. wound — an injury
  16. stock — goods
  17. pop — soda
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. pop — music
  21. craft — boats
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. bear — the animal
  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