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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 116 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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. chair — a leader
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. can — a tin
  5. lean — thin
  6. bear — the animal
  7. stock — shares
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. can — to be able to
  10. bear — the animal
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. stock — goods
  16. tear — from crying
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. tear — to rip
  19. lean — to bend
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. can — a tin
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. stock — a soup base

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