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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. field — farmland
  3. bank — for money
  4. craft — boats
  5. march — the month
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. craft — a skill
  8. tear — to rip
  9. field — a subject
  10. stock — goods
  11. march — music
  12. bank — of a river
  13. march — the month
  14. fall — to drop
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bank — for money
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. bulb — for light
  19. stock — shares
  20. fall — to drop
  21. field — for sport
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. bulb — for light
  24. tear — from crying

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