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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. bass — low music
  5. bound — obliged
  6. tube — a container
  7. bound — certain
  8. stock — shares
  9. stock — goods
  10. tube — the underground
  11. march — the month
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. tear — from crying
  17. march — the month
  18. bound — tied together
  19. tear — to rip
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. march — music
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. leaves — lets stay

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