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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. shower — rain
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. tear — to rip
  6. bound — obliged
  7. chest — of your body
  8. tear — from crying
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. suit — in cards
  11. chest — of your body
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. suit — to fit
  14. chest — a box
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bound — certain
  19. shower — to wash
  20. suit — clothes
  21. stock — goods
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. bound — tied together
  24. branch — a division

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